Breathe For Me
by psycho chibbi
Summary: They're Nakama. They're supposed to watch each other's back. But after one irritating blonde saves his life, Zoro realizes just how often Sanji is looking out for him. He decides to return the favor, but finds it more difficult than he bargained for. SanjixZoro/ZoroxSanji COMPLETE
1. Why?

**Breathe For Me**

_by: a psycho chibi named Wendy_

_Disclaimer:_ Don't own anything except a chewed on pencil.

_Warning:_ Lots and lots of foul language, violence, blood, and eventual Yaoi goodness

_Pairing:_ Eventual Sanji x Zoro/Zoro x Sanji

_Summary:_ They're Nakama. They're supposed to watch each other's back. But after one irritating blonde saves his life, Zoro realizes just how often Sanji is looking out for him. He decides to return the favor.

_Author Rant: _Yo! Just another idea that wandered into my head. I'm making this up as I go, so I have no idea how long it will take, or how long it will last. It should be interesting.

Enjoy~

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Chapter 1

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"Damn.. This storm is completely trashing everything..."

"Navigator-san, you shouldn't be close to the windows when a storm like this is happening."

"Yes, My darling Nami-swan~! Come over here next to me where it is much safer!"

"I'd rather take my chances with the storm."

"What did you say, Shitty Marimo?_!_"

"Haha! Zoro and Sanji are fighting again!"

"Why does that surprise you? They're always fighting."

"Yes, but we're in a different setting! This is cheap hotel fight!"

"I wonder if Merry will be alright where we left her..."

"I'm sure the ship will be fine, Longnose-kun."

"I don't like all the noise... My ears hurt..."

"Chopper, are you okay?"

"I don't like loud storms..."

"Don't worry, Chopper! You can hide with me and Luffy in our awesome pirate fort!"

"Usopp, that's the blanket draped over two chairs."

"Hey, it was made by pirates, so it's still a pirate fort!"

"Hahaha! He's right, Nami! Pirate fort! Come on, Chopper!"

"Get out of my face, Shit cook!"

"Make me, Moss head!"

"Will you two stop it, already?_!_"

"Yes, Nami-san!"

"Yeah, tell your attack dog to roll over, Nami."

"You're pushing it, Asshole!"

"Hahaha! Cheap hotel fighting is funny!"

"I, the great captain Usopp, am king of this fort!"

"Yaaay King captain Usopp~!"

"King captain Longnose-kun, your fly is undone."

"Waaah!"

"Hahahaha!"

"Sanji-kun? What are you looking at?"

"Ah.. Nami-san.. This storm.. I don't think we're safe here... We should go to the..."

"... Oi, curly brow? Why did you trail off?"

"Get down!_!_"

An explosion of glass and splintered wood erupted into the small hotel room. A loud impact deafened everyone as a cloud of dust took over the air just as the power flickered out. Screams and yelps in the dark were drowned out by the howling winds raging outside. The chaos seemed to last forever, but within seconds it dwindled down to the rapid pelting of the rain that began pouring through the hole in the wall.

Disoriented from where he had fallen, Zoro groaned and tried to move. It was hard to breathe in the dust filled air, but he struggled through a choke to speak. "Shit.. What the hell happened..."

He received no answer, which worried him. His ears were ringing from the sudden impact, and a bump forming on the back of his head made him dizzy despite his closed eyes. It frustrated him how long it was taking for his senses to return to him, but soon his hearing steadily cleared. The rapid drops of rain blowing into the room made a dull roar, but there was another sound that confused him. It sounded like breathing. Harsh, desperate breathing like someone struggling for air.

'_Wait.. I don't feel the rain... But the breathing...'_

Zoro forced his eyes open and growled when a hazy blur greeted him. He narrowed his eyes and commanded them to focus, but he was alarmed to see twin orbs of blue framed by a curtain of blonde hair. "S.. Sanji...?"

Above him was the cook, braced on his hands and knees practically pinning him to the floor. The blue eyes were focused in an intense gaze, a look that Zoro had never seen before. Ragged gasps left the pale lips like he had just fought the most brutal fight of his life, but the lean frame was still. Rigid like iron bars caging Zoro in place.

The first thing Zoro wanted was to demand what the blonde was doing, but his eyes caught on something crimson rolling down the flushed cheek. It trailed down to the delicately pointed chin before a drop fell and landed on Zoro's face. There was a warmth in the red liquid that seemed to snap Zoro out of his daze.

Sanji was bleeding.

"Sanji..."

Seeming to return to his senses as well, the blue eyes blinked for a moment before they focused on the Swordsman. The dust in the air made his throat raw from his gasps, making Sanji strangle on a cough before he could use his voice. "You.. You okay, Zoro..?"

The question was the last thing Zoro expected, but it finally made the situation dawn on him. Other than the bump on the back of his head, he was fine. _'Why... Why didn't anything hit me...?' _

The longer he looked into those steady blue eyes, the wider Zoro's became.

Sanji had pushed him down.

Sanji was braced over him, blocking the wind and the rain that came in unhindered.

Sanji had...

Protected him?

"What.. What the fuck do you think you're doing?_!_"

The whispered outburst made a curled brow quirk upward, but Sanji still managed a smug smirk. He lifted his right hand and pointed towards the back of their hotel room. "I believe I just prevented you from being like that."

"What...?" Tilting his head back, Zoro nearly balked when he saw a wide piece of sheet metal embedded into the wall at the back of the room. _'That... that could have killed me...'_

Before he could think of anything to say, the thin form above him started moving. He watched numbly as the blonde got to his feet. For some reason he couldn't seem to move, so was forced to observe the lanky man now towering above him.

The wind was whipping the wet sun colored hair around the pale face, effectively wiping away any blood that had been on his cheek. The rain was steadily soaking the red pinstripe shirt he wore, making it cling to his body like a second skin. Without pause, Sanji fished out his cigarettes from his pants pocket. His hands were rock steady as they smoothly began moving to light a cigarette. Miraculously, his matches decided to work and lit up the darkened room for a brief instant. The orange glow highlighted the water soaked hair and the damp face eerily before smoke scented the air.

The sight made Zoro swallow hard. _'W.. What the hell...'_

Oblivious to the strange look he was earning, Sanji took a long drag and let it out slowly before his half lidded eyes surveyed the room. "Oi. Everyone okay?" he called out as he stepped over the figure still laying on the floor.

'_He steps right over me like I'm not even here..'_ Zoro felt his eye twitch hard at the silent insult.

"We're okay! Luffy managed to shield us in time!" Chopper called out from the upturned mattress that had been added to the fort.

"Haha! The pirate fort held up! I think Usopp crapped his pants though!" Luffy cackled as he tossed the mattress off of where he hand managed to pull the rest of the crew in the nick of time.

"I did not!"

"Are you and Zoro okay?" Nami asked as Robin helped her off the floor.

Sanji glanced down at where Zoro had finally sat up on the floor. Their eyes met for a brief moment before Sanji had another smirk curling his lips. "Marimo's fine. A bit dazed, but that's normal." He calmly moved for where his jacket was still hanging on the bedpost. He took a moment to examine the glass shards sticking out of the post before retrieving his jacket. "I think we should find better shelter. Let's pack up our shit and get moving."

Annoyed at the snide comment, Zoro glared at the blonde. Whatever he had thought of shooting back at the cook died on his lips as Sanji turned around. The back of the red shirt was ripped open, and beneath was a long jagged scrape that went from the small of his back to his shoulder blades. The moment he identified the wound, that black suit jacket was pulled on to conceal it.

Zoro's brow furrowed deeply when the blonde made no move to mention it. "Wait a minu-"

A bright crash of lightning blinded all of them for a few seconds, but was all the prompting the others needed when the thunder literally shook the floor beneath them.

"Waah! Let's get out of here before we're fried!" Usopp cried as he grabbed Chopper and headed for the door.

"I believe Cook-san has the right idea. Let's retreat." Robin agreed as she and Nami snatched up their bags.

Finally standing, Zoro frowned, but went along with the rest of his nakama. He was about to go out the door when something caught the corner of his eye. On looking, he saw it was the sheet metal piercing the wall, but there was something moving stuck in the cracked plaster.

He took a step closer, and his eyes narrowed when he saw that it was a strip of red cloth snagged on the corner of the jagged metal. His fingers took hold of the cloth and pulled it free. Even in the dim light he could make out the familiar black pinstripes.

"Oi! Marimo! Hurry up!"

Broken from his thoughts, a low growl rumbled in his throat. "Curly bastard.."

His boots hit the wet floor heavily as he moved for the door.

His hands were strangely unsteady as he slipped the red cloth into his haramaki.

'_Why..?'_

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"Damn... This place was destroyed..."

Kicking a blown over tree out of the path, Sanji reached for his cigarettes as his visible eye scanned the area. "I heard from the locals that storms like that don't happen normally. They were totally unprepared for it." He reached for his matches, and his eye twitched when his fingers touched soggy cardboard. "Dammit..."

"The skies look so clear now." Chopper whispered as he stared up to the crystal blue above them.

"Do you think we should stick around to help with cleanup?" Luffy questioned from his perch atop a boulder that had recent fallen off a nearby cliff face.

"I wish we could, but the Marines are on our tail." Nami pointed out with a frown. "If we did, we'd only be bringing more trouble for these people."

"Hopefully the Marines will lend a hand to them." Robin noticed Zoro lagging behind them for some reason. She looked at the swordsman only to quirk up a brow at the strange conflicted look on his tan face. "Swordsman-san? Is something wrong?"

Ripped from his train of thought, Zoro blinked before shaking his head. "No... I think the change in the air pressure is messing with my head." He knew the comment was the perfect bait for some snide remark the blonde would be able to throw at him.

But it never came.

Sanji simply continued moving forward, seamlessly clearing anything that was blocking the path.

Seeing that thin body move like nothing way amiss made Zoro's eyes narrow. His hand absently rested on where he had stashed the strip of red cloth as his teeth gritted tightly. _'What the hell is with him.. I know what I saw... Is he really not going to tell the others he's hurt?'_

The blonde may be a stubborn bastard, but he was always up front about any injuries he had. At least to Chopper. _'Maybe he's waiting for when we get back.'_

He wasn't going to admit it, but the thing that grated on him the most was the fact Sanji had gotten hurt trying to protect him. Had gotten hurt while saving his life.

Now he owed the irritating chef.

'_Fuck.'_

Up ahead, Sanji was taking out his frustration on the hapless objects that dared obstruct his path. He wanted a cigarette, but he was having to hold off until he could get some manner of spark. His muscles were beginning to twitch uneasily at the lack of his fix that only grew when the persistent burn stretching across his back refused to go away.

'_Probably need to get the lining replaced... or get a new jacket made.. Dammit, I really liked this one..'_ That only added to his increasingly bitter mood. Along with his best red shirt, he had ruined two of his favorite clothes in the span of five minutes. Then again, he was constantly ruining his good shirts with blood.

Blood blood blood.

It was always blood.

He had gotten the red shirt with the naive hope that any stains wouldn't be noticeable, but fate somehow decided to up it a notch. _'I suppose I should be grateful I wasn't filleted...'_

That had been far too close of a call. Mere millimeters had separated him from having his spine carved out of his body. Just thinking of it made his back twinge painfully.

Gritting his teeth, Sanji forced his gait to continue normally. His hands shoved deeply into his pockets, the cook began mentally rambling off the only thing he knew he could distract himself with. _'Medium-low heat, melt butter in a large stockpot. Toss in two chopped onions, two minced garlic cloves, and fresh chopped parsley. Cook slowly until onions are soft, then add stewed tomatoes with a bottle of clam juice and one cup of chicken bro-'_

"Sanji...?"

Broken from his thoughts, Sanji glanced down to see Chopper looking up at him with a worried expression on his face. "What's up, Chopper?"

The little reindeer frowned slightly and pointed with his hoof. "Your.. Your lip is bleeding..."

Blue eyes blinked at the statement as Sanji reached up. He immediately felt a sting on his lower lip and saw crimson on his fingertips when he pulled his hand away. "Ah.. So it is."

"Are you okay?" Chopper questioned as his frown grew.

A smile readily curled the bleeding lips as Sanji nodded. "Yeah. I'm just craving a cigarette. My matches got wet, and I start chewing on my lip when I can't get a smoke."

Chopper tilted his head at the explanation. "Oh. Well, I don't think I should be encouraging that habit..." The doctor paused on the path and opened his ever present backpack. "But it's better than you hurting yourself." he stated as he held up a small box of matches.

Seeing the matches had a wide grin forming on Sanji's face. "I believe I love you, Chopper." He took the matches and instantly had a cigarette lit before the little doctor had time to put his arm back down.

Taking a deep drag, Sanji let out the smoke in a blissful sigh. A giddy expression was on his pale face as he patted the top of the pink hat. "You just earned yourself some fresh candy caramel apples."

Chopper's eyes were instantly wide and sparkly as he clapped his hooves in glee. "Really?_!_ You mean it?_!_"

"I mean it. Come on. Once we've checked out Merry and get everything situated, I'll get started on them."

"Do I get one too, Sanji?_!_" Luffy asked eagerly, hopping down from the rock to bounce up to his cook.

Sanji gave a soft snort and blew smoke over his shoulder. "I don't think I have enough apples to satisfy you. Tell you what. Find me some more and I'll see what I can do."

"Yosh! Chopper! Usopp! Let's go apple hunting after we get back to Merry!"

"I, Captain Usopp, am the greatest apple hunter in the world!"

"Yaay! Apple hunting!"

Seeing her nakama so happy had Nami smiling. "It's been ages since I've had candied apples."

"I don't believe I've ever tried it." Robin commented lightly.

"Ah! Then I shall make the best candied apples ever to please the perfect pallets of my two precious ladies!" Sanji cooed happily, puffing out smoke hearts.

When the hearts started flying, Zoro rolled his eyes and continued up the path without his comrades. He could hear them carrying on as he walked, and, although he would never admit it, he did enjoy how everyone became so happy when Sanji decided to make something special. It always did the trick. No matter how hard things got, or how busted up everyone was, things immediately brightened when Sanji made the extra effort.

'_But.. He was always injured then, too...'_

A strange feeling started to wrap around Zoro's mind. It was heavy and annoying, but it led him to question himself. What was he usually doing when the chef was constantly busy?

Training.

Sleeping...

"Dammit.. I feel guilty... Why do I feel guilty?" he grumbled to himself.

"Look! Merry's okay!"

"Yaay!_!_"

Zoro was almost trampled when Luffy and Usopp ran by carrying a squealing reindeer.

Knocked off balance, he nearly ran into a tree, but something snagging his haramaki kept him from kissing the bark. He blinked in alarm at the up close view of the moss covered trunk, then glanced down.

A single pale finger was hooked around the green fabric. When he saw the black jacket cuff at the thin wrist, Zoro's gaze shot up. He felt his eye twitch when the blonde bastard was casually taking another long drag from his cigarette. So at ease and his hands were like rock. Those hands were always so still. So confident.

Sanji slowly blew the smoke into the air above him, but didn't meet the swordsman's gaze. "Looks like this is becoming a habit, Marimo." he stated while releasing the green fabric.

The way that hand smoothly slipped into the pocket of the black slacks simply rubbed Zoro the wrong way. He shot his best glare at the blonde, uncaring that the blue eyes were facing a different direction. "I didn't ask you to do anything." he shot back. He didn't know why this was pissing him off. It simply was.

Hearing that made a slow smirk curl the cook's lips. He didn't bother meeting the eyes drilling a hole through him. "I know."

Without another word, Sanji continued down the path to the cove where the others were already climbing aboard the ship. The growl he heard behind him made him chuckle, but he kept on his course.

He was beginning to like that growl.

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TBC

I'll update as I write more.

Until then,

Later~


	2. Enough credit

An interesting encounter.

Enjoy~

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Chapter 2

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"Oi, Chopper."

Glancing up from the massive candy apple he held in his small hooves, Chopper faced the swordsman curiously. "Yes, Zoro?"

Zoro leaned casually against the rail were the little doctor was perched. He let his gaze drift up to the sky as he spoke. "Just wanted to check and make sure no one got hurt from that storm last night. Should I watch out for anyone?" he asked as nonchalantly as he could manage. He knew that Chopper wouldn't give him any personal details. They had a silent agreement that the doctor would let him know if any of the crew needed a little extra help.

This time the reindeer was smiling happily. "Nope! Isn't that great? I was really worried for a little while, but so far everyone seems just fine!" he chirped. He then took another bite of his candied apple and nearly squealed in delight. "This is so awesome! You really need to try one, Zoro!"

It took all Zoro had to keep his pleased expression in place. "Maybe later. Anyway, let me know if anything needs my attention." He patted the top of the pink hat and walked away before the doctor could reply.

He had to leave before his irritation caused any suspicion.

'_What the hell is that bastard doing? That wound needs medical attention. There's no way he can tend to it himself...'_ he grumbled in his head as he continued to roam the ship.

It was proving too strenuous of a task to find somewhere he wouldn't see that masochistic curlicue.

Despite the serious injury in such a vulnerable area, Sanji had still been dancing around like an idiot. Pampering the girls and fixing the obscenely elaborate treat for everyone to share. Acting like nothing was amiss. Like he wasn't cringing in pain with every move he made.

Just watching made Zoro feel a strange twinge in his back.

He knew that the wound was bothering the blonde. There was no way it couldn't. Watching him only made Zoro realize how good the cook was at hiding pain. There was only one thing out of place that told him that something was off with the blonde bastard.

When he had been cooking, he didn't take off the black jacket. Sanji always removed his jacket when he was cooking anything. Keeping the jacket on meant that Sanji was trying to hide something.

"Nami-san! I've brought your tea~!"

After seeing one more gooey show the blonde was making out of serving the pair of ladies, Zoro couldn't hold back any longer. "Oi! Curly cook! Get over here!" he called out across the deck.

Pausing from where he had been pouring a glass of iced tea for his ladies, Sanji fixed a bland stare on the swordsman. "What is it, Marimo? I'm busy."

A jerk of his thumb towards the door to the anchor room was Zoro's first answer. "Some of the cannon balls and gunpowder barrels got shifted out of place. Help me put it back."

The not so much a request had a curled eyebrow quirking upward. It wasn't often that Zoro made any attempt to gain his assistance. Actually, it never happened.

Sanji was immediately on guard. "Fine. If it's proving too much of a strain on your delicate arms." he shot back as he finished pouring the tea. Once his ladies were comfortable, Sanji followed the moss head through the door that led to the forward cannon.

The moment they were in the weapon's room his blue eyes narrowed. "Nothing's out of place here..." The sound of the door closing behind him had Sanji jerking around to see Zoro positioned in front of the door. "What the hell is this about, Kelphead?" he demanded flatly.

Zoro calmly folded his arms over his chest and leveled a steady glare. "Take off your jacket."

The visible blue eye widened briefly before a sneer twisted the pale lips. "Fuck you. Let me by."

"I know what happened, Shit cook!" Zoro hissed, his own patience wearing dangerously thin. "I also know you haven't let Chopper check you out. If you're not gonna let him do it, you better accept the fact that I am."

Sanji was a bit thrown by the strange statement. His surprise faded away as a smirk soon twitched at his lips. He calmly pulled out his black metal cigarette case from his jacket pocket and opened it. Drawing out the silence that had settled over them. He picked out one of his cigarettes and lightly twirled it in his fingers before placing it between his lips.

Zoro waited for some kind of answer, but saw the blonde was taking his sweet time. He watched those ever sure hands retrieve a lighter from another pocket. There was a brief moment where the flame lit up the dim space. The sight of that pale face lit up in the orange hue always did something strange to Zoro. He couldn't figure out what or why, but he was starting to pay more attention whenever a new cigarette was lit.

Taking a deep drag, Sanji held it in for a moment before blowing the stream of smoke at the figure blocking his path. "What exactly is it to you?"

He resisted the urge to fan the smoke away from his face. Zoro kept his glare fixed on that half lidded blue eye. "You have to ask? You're nakama, asshole. We're supposed to look out for each other." he pointed out on a grunt.

As of late, he was noticing more and more that the blonde seemed to take the concept of nakama one sidedly. Sanji would do anything and everything to help out any of them, but when it came to himself he seemed to be off on his own. Never asking for help. Never showing an ounce of weakness to anyone. It was always that calm and cool exterior that glided through life like nothing could touch him.

The angry words didn't seem to have much of an affect on the blonde, but he made no move to leave. "Hm... Is that what we're supposed to do." Sanji mused more to himself.

He ignored the growl that provoked and quietly pondered his options as he cast his gaze down to the floor. His eyes followed the grain pattern in the wood until it led him to the black boots his supposed comrade wore. It honestly puzzled him that this would matter that much to the moss head. He hadn't expected it to matter much at all.

After a moment of silent thought, Sanji let out a sigh and lifted his eyes back to the dark ones watching him. "If it's bothering you that much, meet me in here tonight after everyone's asleep. You can do what you want then."

It wasn't what he had hoped for, but Zoro knew he had to make due. "You best not back out of that, Blondie. I'll hunt you down and drag you down here if I have to." he stated flatly.

The threat had Sanji snorting in amusement. "Heh... My word is absolute, Shitty swordsman. Now let me by. I have to start on dinner."

Zoro wanted to refuse, but that unwavering blue gaze had him moving before he could stop himself. When the cook walked past him, Zoro caught the scent of smoke and something spicy. Spicy yet sweet at the same time. _'Cinnamon sugar...'_

"Oi."

Sanji paused. His hand was on the door handle, but didn't look back. "Yeah?"

"Did you make one of those apples for me?"

The strange question had Sanji glancing over his shoulder with a little grin. "Extra cinnamon candy coating with bitter sweet chocolate drizzle. It's in the fridge when you want it." With that, Sanji headed out of the room as if nothing happened.

Dark eyes watched the door close. The moment the cook was gone a restless breath left him. Something was making Zoro feel out of sorts whenever he had the blonde bastard's attention. It was...

Weird.

Maybe it was because the annoying cook kept bailing his ass out of trouble. Maybe it was because he never made an issue out of doing so. Maybe it was the way he always had to look so damn at ease with everything he did.

'_Well... At least he's not putting up a fight. Guess I better find a way to kill some time until tonight.'_

"Nami-swan! I found your sunglasses~!"

He had a feeling he was going to be very distracted.

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Time decided to be a stubborn, slow moving bitch for Zoro.

No matter what he did to occupy himself with until night fall, the day never seemed to end. It drug on like a ceaseless torture intended to drive the swordsman insane. The main form of torture was watching that blonde idiot continue to carry on without the slightest hint of concern for the injury hidden beneath the black jacket.

From cooking dinner to doing chores. Pampering the girls to goofing off with Usopp and Luffy. The bouncing bubble brained bastard would not stay the fuck still. Every time he saw him moving in ways that had to be causing pain, he had to look away. Never did his expression look any different. No hint that he could even feel it.

It made Zoro wonder. _'Has he done this before?_'

What was worse was that he had no way of knowing. All of the fights. All of the not so friendly encounters. There was no end to the instances where injuries could have been hidden. Ignored for the sake of keeping things calm. His mind kept offering scenarios, each one increasingly unsettling, of what Sanji may have lied about.

When he lost count in his workout for the 5th time, Zoro gave it up. Instead he quietly began collecting any supplies he could need to treat the stubborn asshole. He hid them in their designated meeting spot, but stopped himself from leaving. He knew he would just drive himself crazy waiting.

So he plopped down on the floor and made himself comfortable. Propping his back against one of the tied down crates, Zoro folded his arms over his chest and closed his eyes. _'Seems like a good place for a nap for an hour or two...'_

Soon a pleasant darkness settled over his senses as he drifted off.

"Oi. Wake up, Shit head."

A sharp kick to his shin had Zoro's eyes flying open. "Ow! What the fuck?_!_" He clutched at his throbbing shin and shot his angry glare at the figure standing above him.

The dim light hanging from the ceiling made the slender form dramatically shadowed. Hands were stuffed into pants pockets as a thin trail of smoke curled its way from the burning ember close to the darkened face. The light from above reflected off golden hair and seemed to glow softly, making the black clad figure stand out even more.

The strange stare that was fixed on him made a dimly lit curled eyebrow arch up. "What's wrong with you? Are you still asleep, or did your brain finally decide to leave you?"

Hearing that sarcastic tone in that smokey voice finally snapped Zoro out of the weird daze he had fallen into. "I'm wondering why the hell you kicked me! What are you doing here anyway? I thought you weren't going to show up until tonight." he asked on a grunt as he forced himself to his feet.

Sanji's visible eye blinked before he pulled his right hand out of his pocket to point at the two portholes next to the door. "It is tonight. Everyone else went to sleep an hour ago."

Zoro shot his attention to the glass and saw nothing but darkness outside. When he realized that he had slept straight through dinner to the middle of the night, a groan left him as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Dammit.. I didn't mean to sleep that long."

"Apparently you needed it. I tried to wake you up for dinner, but you just rolled over and grunted something about a stubborn asshole." Sanji turned away and moved for a covered tray that was resting atop another crate. He picked up the tray and turned towards the confused swordsman. "Here. Thought you might be hungry when you finally got up."

Thrown off by the thoughtful gesture, suddenly the pain in his shin didn't seem to register. Zoro took the covered tray, and was confused the moment his hands touched the metal. "It's still warm?"

Not answering, Sanji calmly took hold of the lid to the tray and lifted it. There in the center was a bowl of steaming stew with thick slices of bread at the side. "I kept it on a low heat. Go ahead and eat."

Before Zoro could reply, the blonde calmly moved for the single cannon in the room and perched himself atop it. Seeing that the cook was going to wait for him to finish, Zoro looked to his tray and felt his stomach twist in complaint at his slowness. After one rather loud complaint nearly echoed in the small space, Zoro turned away on seeing the little smirk it pulled to the pale face.

"Drink?" he questioned on a slight grunt.

"Capstan."

Glancing back, Zoro was surprised to find a large wooden mug resting on top of the anchor line's capstan. How he didn't see that before was beyond him, but he was pleased at the added touch.

He stepped up to the capstan and was able to set the tray on top of it next to the mug. There he took up the bowl and raised a spoonful of the stew for an experimental sip. The flavors that assaulted his tongue almost made him groan in bliss. Tomatoes mingled with shrimp and oysters. Clams and crab meat. Calamari and mussels. Just about everything imaginable mixed together in such sinfully rich substance that made his entire mouth tingle.

'_Shit.. I slept through dinner and missed this..'_ A bite of a crusty slice of bread added the perfect contrast to the dish. "Dammit... This should be illegal." he grunted before tearing into his meal.

From his seat on the cannon, Sanji smiled at the comment as he continued to smoke his cigarette. "Good thing I happen to be a pirate chef. Heh, that would be awesome. Going around cooking illegal recipes." he mused more to himself.

Images of busting down doors to restaurants and holding people at gunpoint while he commandeered kitchens to cook banned dishes filled Sanji's head. "I might have to look into that. Could be fun."

"Hn. I'm sure Luffy will give you his full support there."

Sanji's amused hum was the only reply before they settled into a silence that wasn't really comfortable, but it wasn't awkward either. Zoro continued with his meal as Sanji quietly smoked. It was one of the few times they had managed to occupy the same space without trying to kill one another.

The only other times anything resembling a companionable silence occurred were when Zoro helped out in the kitchen. The main reason for that being that Sanji didn't want any of his cookware or dishes broken. Zoro knew this very well, and held enough respect for the blonde's possessions to keep himself from provoking the volatile cook.

Sanji never even tried to touch his katana when they weren't having one of their disputes. It was like the blonde had some undeclared line that he refused to cross in the aspect. Zoro had noticed, and appreciated that. It spoke that the cook held the same respect towards him.

He took his time to savor the food that had been brought for him, but eventually he finished his meal and emptied the wooden mug in a few gulps. He sat the mug back on the capstan and let out a deep sigh. It felt good just to be full. Not engorged like Luffy always insisted on.

Some how Sanji knew just the right portion size to give him to make him comfortably full. He noticed it was the same for all of them except for their psychotic captain. It was a wonder the cook could keep up with that bottomless pit.

His eyes focused on the blonde to see his head turned to look out the cannon port at the night sky. A gentle breeze blew in from the open space and tousled the sun colored locks. It managed to brush aside the gold strands that seemed permanently plastered to the left side of the cook's face. It was rare he ever got a glimpse of that pale face in its entirety. Whenever he did, Zoro found something that always lingered in his thoughts.

'_He always looks so far away. It's like his eyes are always fixed on the horizon...'_

Deciding that was enough private musings, Zoro took a deep breath and let it out. "Hm.. That was good." he commented to signal the end of his meal.

Sanji didn't bother to turn his head. "Glad you approve."

His cigarette had burnt down to its filter by now, but his teeth were still lightly chewing on it. He knew what was coming, and he really wanted no part of it. It was his problem. The idiot marimo had no right to butt in.

'_But... If I put up a resistance he'll tell the others. That will cause a massive headache since I haven't been up front about it.'_ It pissed him off, but he had to let the swordsman have his way to avoid a larger conflict.

It didn't take Zoro long to figure that he was going to have to follow through with this. "Alright, take off your jacket." he stated in as firm a tone he could without raising his voice.

Biting back the snide remark that immediately wanted to leave him, Sanji began popping open the buttons to his jacket. He promised to allow his nakama to do as he wished. _'Why did I say such a stupid thing?' _he wondered in annoyance. Still, he was a man of his word.

Soon the jacket was slipping off the lean frame, but Zoro was puzzled by the way it was allowed to fall to the floor in a crumpled heap. Normally that jacket was given the utmost care. "You're not going to fold it up?"

"Not much point." Sanji pulled free the black tie around his neck and began unbuttoning the green shirt he had changed into when they returned to the ship. "The lining is ruined and there are tears from where glass had sliced it up. Might go back to town and see if there's a tailor that can make me a new one."

"Would a tailor be able to make one that quickly? We only have a few more days here." Zoro commented while he retrieved the supplies he had managed to get from Chopper's work area.

"A good tailor that doesn't have any prior items to work on could. As long as they have the right materials on hand. Doesn't really matter, though. I can go a while without it." With a flick of his thumbs, the cuffs were unbuttoned and the green shirt easily slid off his arms. It fell to the floor to pool with the ruined jacket.

The moment he heard the fabric hit the floor, Zoro glanced over his shoulder to his unwilling patient. To his surprise there were bandages already wrapped snugly around the slender torso. "I thought you didn't see Chopper."

Sanji gave a soft snort as he began picking at the tape that held the gauze in place. "I didn't. I always had to patch myself up whenever that shitty old man decided to kick my head in. I know enough to tend to myself."

Zoro's eyes narrowed on seeing the bandages wouldn't cover the entire length of the scrape he had seen. "You can treat a back wound that large on your own?"

A rueful smirk curled Sanji's lips as he got down from his perch on the cannon. "Not very well." With that he calmly turned around to show the extent of his capabilities.

The moment he saw the once pristine back, Zoro nearly dropped the bandages in his hands.

A dark crimson stained the white gauze that stretched from his waist to just under his arms. However both of the sharp shoulder blades showed an ugly mass of black bruises surrounding the edges of a raw wound that appeared to still be bleeding.

Seeing it like this made a painful chill tear down Zoro's spine. He swallowed hard and forced himself to focus. "Shit... You're insane. Why the hell didn't you go to Chopper?" he asked flatly. He was hesitant to even imagine what the rest of it looked like beneath those soaked bandages._ 'Shit.. I may be over my head with this...'_

"Hm. That's a good question." That was Sanji's only answer as he finally pulled the tape free.

The bandages, heavy with blood, seemed to slowly fall from their place. Revealing the rest of the wound inch by agonizing inch.

Zoro bit his lip hard when it seemed as if it wouldn't stop. The hideous mark that had come so close to taking the blonde out of the world. His feet took him hesitantly across the room. They came to a stop just behind the injured form where the scent of fresh blood instantly assaulted him. Already some spots were beginning to bleed and trail down the curves of the normally sleek back.

For a moment, Zoro seriously doubted himself. He was about to insist that the idiot just man up and see their doctor, but something suddenly caught his attention. The pale shoulders were slumped slightly and the blonde head looked as if it was bowed low. Those hands that were always so steady and sure now hung lifelessly at the cook's sides.

It was a posture that Zoro thought he would never see.

Sanji was submitting. Baring a weakness to him without hesitation and awaiting whatever attention would be bestowed. There was no tension in the lean frame. Just compliance.

Zoro was confused, but part of him wondered if he should possibly feel honored. He moved to a stack of nearby crates and sat down the bandages as he attempted to find the words to ask his next question.

It ended up not being much of a question. "Didn't think you trusted me this much."

A faint hum left Sanji as he glanced over his shoulder at his comrade. "Didn't think you would care."

That calm response had Zoro stopping in place. He met the single blue eye watching him, and, for the probably the first time, things seemed to clear a bit. They never gave one another a chance beyond their volatile tolerance of each other. With the way they constantly fought, it was no wonder they doubted one another when it came to something that wasn't fighting.

"Looks like we both don't give each other enough credit." Zoro finally answered.

Sanji didn't expect that sort of reply, but soon his smug smirk was forming back on his lips. "Like I would give credit to a shitty Marimo." Ignoring the glare that soon formed on the meat head's face, Sanji turned his attention to the wood grain of the wall a few feet in front of him. "Hurry up before I bleed to death."

Irritated that the blonde so readily insulted him, Zoro grunted a few words under his breath as he gathered up the rest of his supplies. "Damn curly bastard. You should be grateful I'm going out of my way."

"Heh. You're doing this on your own. I'm just allowing it. Get on with it. I'm starting to get dizzy over here." Sanji inadvertently admitted. He wished he hadn't, but he was amused when the sounds of Zoro's movement sped up. _'Heh.. Guess he really is worried..'_

With the threat of severe blood loss now driving his actions, Zoro was soon tapping into a small water cask to wet down a clean cloth. "I'm going to clean up your back first. Do you need anything to bite down on?" With the size and appearance of the wound, he knew every touch to it was going to be painful.

A light chuckle left Sanji as he slipped his hand into his left pocket. "Don't bother. Brought my own." His long fingers then pulled out a thick piece of hard woven leather. It was around six inches in length and two inches in width.

And it was covered with teeth marks.

Zoro had seen similar items given to heavily wounded patients, or people receiving corporal punishment in the form of whip lashings. It was for the sake of preventing clenched teeth from cracking when under a great deal of pain. For the cook to have one of his own... _'What the hell is with this guy..?'_

Unaware of the swordsman's growing concern, Sanji easily placed the hard leather between his teeth. His teeth easily found their way into the perfect indentations that had been worn in. He lightly ground his teeth into the leather to get a good hold on it then took a deep breath. Sanji then raised his hands and placed them flat on the wall in front of him before he finally closed his eyes.

The blonde head nodded once. Signaling that he was ready.

The swordsman felt nowhere near ready.

Just seeing the cook braced and waiting for him was a strange sight. It looked more like Sanji was awaiting punishment. _'Damn idiot... Now I'm really worried.. Irritating bastard...'_

Forcing himself to get on with it, Zoro finally approached the wounded man. He tried his best to be careful as he made the first swipe with the wet cloth, but he was amazed when the blonde didn't even flinch. Sanji's breathing stayed the same, and the muscles around the wound didn't tense at all as he continued.

Soon the cloth was completely stained, so Zoro tossed it aside and reached for the bottle of alcohol. He didn't care how badass the blonde was. Alcohol on a scrape of this magnitude was going to hurt like a bitch.

"I'm going to pour on the alcohol now." he warned so Sanji could brace himself.

Sanji gave another nod, and immediately after he felt an intense burn travel the length of his back. His eyes snapped open and his teeth bit viciously into the woven leather. He refused to make a sound. Used every ounce of his will to keep his breathing normal. Forced his muscles to stay relaxed and his hands pressed against the wall. If he moved his hands even an inch, they would be balled into fists until his nails cut into his palms.

'_This is nothing. This is nothing. This is nothing.'_ he chanted over and over in his mind until there was no room for the pain to register.

The moment he was certain that the alcohol had gotten every inch of the wound, Zoro pulled the bottle away. The only signal that he had noticed that Sanji was in pain was the quiet creaking of the leather being crushed between the cook's teeth. _'His restraint is impressive..'_ He knew he should expect no less from a fighter of the blonde's caliber.

Getting another cloth, Zoro carefully dried off Sanji's back before getting the jar of healing salve that Chopper had a stock supply of. He dipped two fingers into the cloudy gel and started at the scraped shoulder blades. He noticed a faint wince at the contact, but Zoro made no comment as he continued. Even though he was being as easy and he possibly could, Zoro still wondered if he was hurting his nakama.

Sanji wondered why it wasn't hurting more. _'Why is he being so gentle? I thought he was just gonna clean me up and slap some new bandages on..'_ Despite the direct contact with his injury, he barely had to bite down on the leather between his teeth. The moss head was almost more careful than Chopper when he worked on him.

Confused, Sanji glanced over his right shoulder. Immediately he caught sight of the deep frown of concentration that was pulled over the tan features. Seeing that combined with the near tender touch made a frown pull at Sanji's brow. He looked back towards the wall, but a pang of guilt had him bowing his head. _'Guess I haven't given Zoro enough credit...'_

It took a while with how slowly he was moving, but eventually Zoro finished applying the salve. He resisted letting out a sigh when it appeared that he hadn't caused further discomfort. _'He could just be that good at acting.'_ he reminded himself as he moved to the pile of bandages.

Zoro made quick work of carefully applying gauze pads to the deeper portions of the scrape, then moved on to the rolls of gauze that were waiting on him. He started at the blonde's narrow waist and wrapped the bandages up the length of the sculpted torso.

He never got to see the blonde without a shirt often. With the harsh sun and the ever changing elements they were subjected to daily, it was best that Sanji's pale skin stayed covered. He couldn't recall him ever getting a sunburn, so it was obvious that the cook took care of himself in that respect.

When the bandages reached up to the same height Sanji hand managed on his own, he was a bit surprised when the gauze roll began moving over his shoulders. Zoro was almost embracing him as he worked. It made a strange feeling well up in Sanji's gut. Having Marimo that close and taking care of him. He wasn't sure if he completely disliked it.

'_He almost seems human right now..'_ Sanji mused as he watched the large hands carefully crisscross the bandages over his chest for another pass at his back.

It took several rounds before Zoro was satisfied. He finally taped off the end of the bandages and stood back to look over his work. "How does that feel? Tight anywhere?"

Sanji pulled his hands away from the wall and took the leather out from between his teeth. He turned and shifted slightly to test out the patch job, and was pleasantly surprised. "No, it's good. I still have a decent range of motion." He proved so by bending over to retrieve his discarded clothes from the floor. They were both ruined, so he carelessly balled them up and tucked the cloth under his arm.

It surprised the swordsman how relived he was to hear he had done good. "You should probably limit yourself. It'll bleed again if you over do it." Zoro added as he began cleaning up the mess scattered on the floor. No one needed to find bloodied bandages all over the place.

The advice had Sanji snickering as he switched the woven leather for a cigarette. "I can't believe you just said that. Is there such a thing as limiting yourself on this floating psycho ward?"

"Heh.. Okay. You've got a point." Zoro dumped all the remnants of their encounter on a stack of crates and started to wad everything up for quick disposal. "Keep in mind that if you do something stupid, I'll have to change your bandages again."

There was a strange silence that filled the air for a moment before the striking of a match broke it up. "I don't think I'd mind."

Those words had Zoro turning around in time to catch the pale profile lit up in that familiar glow. He couldn't think of a way to really respond to that.

He didn't have to.

"I feel like having a drink." Sanji suddenly announced as he headed for the door.

He was almost out of the door when he paused and looked back over his shoulder. "Oi. Why ya standing there, Shit head?"

Zoro raised a brow at the insult. "Was that an invitation?"

That blue eye rolled sarcastically while Sanji let out a frustrated smoke filled breath. "It's a wonder I put up with you." He gave a wave of his hand and stepped out on deck. "I've got an overstock of old booze that needs to be cleared out. I need a Marimo sponge to sop it all up."

Figuring that was as polite an invite as he would receive in this life time, Zoro smirked and readily followed.

'_Maybe... He's not so bad.'_

_fjfjfjfjfjfjfj_

TBC

Does this count as bonding?

Later~


	3. Almost

Never a moment's rest.

Enjoy~

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Chapter 3

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It had been such a pleasant night.

"Tie those crates down! Hurry!"

Sanji was baffled at what made him extend the invitation. A strange sense of obligation, perhaps. He didn't expect to actually sort of like the time he spent in the Marimo's company.

Zoro was amazed at how easily he spent the hours quietly drinking with that blonde idiot. The bottles of sake that he was allowed to open surprised him. It was stuff that he had never seen before. Bottles from Sanji's personal stash.

"That leak below deck has started up again! Usopp!"

"I'm on it!"

Neither of them said much. More than likely as a way to ensure they didn't piss each other off during their unspoken truce. Still, as time wore on, it was proving to be pretty nice. It was almost like they were friends.

"Can we sail out before the storm's on top of us?_!_"

"The tide's receding too far out, Nami-san!"

"Dammit, that's not good! A big wave must be on its way!"

"Shit! I see it!"

"No choice, it's coming in too fast! Everyone back to shore! We need to get to higher ground!"

It was a pity it had to be cut short.

Their frantic struggle to back to dry land was drowned out by the howling winds that lashed out with a harsh rain. Their retreating forms were pelted mercilessly with the heavy drops and the cutting wind. At a few points they even had to protect themselves from hailstones that suddenly began dropping from the ominous black sky.

It seemed to take forever just to reach the tree line, but they didn't stop once they were under the cover of the green canopy. They moved as fast as they could for the cliff face that they had passed the day before. Dodging the debris that was gradually getting bigger as the winds increased in speed.

Luffy was at the front of their frantic procession. Knocking away any objects that tried to obstruct their path. Zoro was towards the center. Keeping an eye on everyone and making sure everyone was keeping up. Sanji was at the back. He continued to glance over his shoulder towards the coastline. Gauging how much time they had before all hell broke loose.

His blue eyes widened when he saw the towering white capped wave looming straight above the beach. "Shit!" He shot his attention to the front of the group. "Luffy! Grab the girls! We're out of time!" he shouted before scooping Chopper up into his arms.

The captain didn't think to question his cook. Luffy wrapped his left arm around Nami as his right shot out towards the top of the cliff. "Robin!"

Robin made no hesitation in wrapping her arms around her captain's shoulders. The moment her hold was secure, Luffy shot up with the two ladies to the top of the cliff.

"Waaah! We're gonna diiie!_!_" Usopp cried out as he kept running towards the cliff. "Why do the girls always get saved first?_!_ What about Captain Usopp?_!_"

Zoro gritted his teeth when the plaintive wail proved even louder than the storm. "Now isn't the time to complain, idiot!"

"Oi! Usopp!"

Usopp looked back when he heard his name, but immediately had the wind knocked out of him when a ball of brown fur collided into him. "Waah! Wait.. Chopper?" He blinked when he saw that he was now holding the little doctor.

Chopper seemed in a daze as well, but he shook out of it to look back at the blonde that threw him. "Sanji! Hurry!"

Jerking his attention back, Zoro locked his eyes on Sanji in time to see the cook kicking away a large uprooted tree that had been about to slam into their group. There was something off, though. The kick didn't seem to have the usual force behind it. _'Wait.. That kick should have broken that tree into splinters..'_

When Sanji seemed to stagger once his feet touched back on the ground, Zoro's eyes widened. The blonde's movements were sluggish. Like his reaction time was being weighed down. Something was seriously wrong.

"Sanji! Move your ass!" Zoro called out sharply when the cook had yet to catch up.

The blonde felt his heart pounding in his head for some reason. His vision swam, and for a moment everything around him felt muffled. _'Shit.. I've lost too much blood...'_

"Sanji!"

Hearing his name shouted once more, Sanji snapped back to his senses long enough to start moving for the cliff. Ahead of him, the figures waiting at the base of the cliff looked blurred. The longer he looked forward, the more his vision began tunneling. It felt a lot like vertigo. _'Dammit.. Blood loss and drinking don't mix...'_

A bit relieved now that the cook was heading towards them, Zoro turned his attention towards the top of the cliff. He knew it would take too long to climb, but he didn't have to worry when he saw a familiar rubbery arm shooting down. He grabbed Usopp by the front of his overalls and jerked him in the path of the reaching hand. "Hold Chopper tight!"

"Wha? Wait! WAAAHHH!_!_" the sounds of both Usopp and Chopper squealing cut through the sounds of the storm as they were both rocketed up the cliff.

Satisfied they were safe, Zoro turned his attention back towards the blonde that was finally reaching him. "Oi.. You okay..?" he asked on noticing how much paler the cook seemed to be.

Forcing himself not to gasp for breath, Sanji snorted and calmly reached for a cigarette. "Just peachy, Marimo."

Zoro knew that was a lie. He looked closely when that glow lit up the blonde's face. Now he could easily catch the dark circle beneath the visible eye. _'He's exhausted...'_

He couldn't make a comment when the sound of a crashing roar began rumbling towards them. The storm surge was tearing through the land heading straight for their direction. Trees were toppling like dominos as the water cut them down. The rate of their falling showed how fast it was moving. All the land around them would be swallowed any minute.

A plume of smoke was blown into Zoro's face and broke him from his thoughts. Zoro immediately glared at the smirk that was on the blonde's face. "What?" he asked on a grunt.

Sanji's smirk turned slow and lazy. He casually tapped the ashes off his cigarette and gave a thoughtful hum. "Never noticed you're kinda cute when you're worried."

A strange feeling coiled around Zoro at the weird look he was getting. "What the hell are you babbling about?"

Without answering, Sanji reached out and took hold of the tan chin. He leaned in close until their noses were almost touching. Until their lips were almost touching. He could feel the rigid tension that fell over the broad frame. It made him smile.

On impulse, he just barely allowed his lips to ghost over Zoro's and across his cheek to the pierced ear. "Zoro..."

Zoro could smell the smoke and lingering scent of alcohol from their drinking session not long ago. The barely there contact sent chills through his spine as his heart pounded through his chest._ 'He's just drunk.. That's it.. Light weight can't handle liquor...'_ he thought in a weak attempt to deny the feelings that were trying to make themselves known. Feelings that twinged a bit stronger when those pale lips brushed over his piercings.

"Zoro.." Sanji breathed out his name like a quiet prayer. "Take care of the others for me."

Dark eyes grew wide an instant before a harsh force plowed into his gut. The air was ripped from his lungs at the sudden blow, but he barely registered it before he was jerked to the side. At that moment he felt a familiar grip clamp onto his shoulder. A quick glance showed him Luffy's hand clutching him tight. On realizing he had been shoved into the hand's path, Zoro instantly shot his gaze to the still smiling cook.

That damn fucking fatalistic smile...

Not even bothering to think, Zoro let out a vicious growl and charged forward before the hand could retract. He was able to grab the front of the blue t-shirt that now hid the cook's wounds. With a jerk forward that startled the blonde, Zoro pulled Sanji hard against his chest. His arms locked tight around the thin form pressed against him just in time for the both of them to be dragged up into the air.

Zoro's eyes were clenched along with his teeth as he kept his death grip on that damn blonde idiot. The air whistled past their ears as they picked up speed until the inevitable release that would send them into the harsh impact they were accustomed to from their spastic captain. The moment he felt the grip gone from his shoulder, Zoro twisted his body in time for his back to collide hard into the trunk of a towering tree. He could hear the wood cracking from the force of the blow, but it proved stronger and held its ground.

Still, Zoro wasn't thrilled about the rough landing. "Dammit... I'm gonna kill that rubber bastard one day." he grunted under his breath.

Another cloud of smoke suddenly blew into his face. Forcing his eyes to open. He was greeted to the site of a half lidded blue eye dangerously close. When he focused on the pale face, he was baffled by the pouting glare that was fixed on him. "Uh.. What are you looking at me like that for..?"

Sanji kept his glare steady as he reached up and flipped the tip of Zoro's nose hard. "Shitty Marimo. You made me waste a perfectly good heroic goodbye. You can't plan that kinda shit." A deep sigh left him as he looked away to take another drag from his cigarette. "Damn kelphead. No sense of dramatic flare."

Zoro watched blankly as the blonde let out a long column of smoke. He couldn't believe what was just said. "You... Are you completely brain dead?_!_ Heroic goodbye?_!_ What the fuck is that shit about?_!_ Are you telling me you wanted to me to let you die?_!_"

The cook let out a soft hum and casually flicked his spent cigarette away. "So confident that I would die... I'm hurt you have such little faith in me, Marimo." Another slow smirk curled onto the pale lips as he gave a sly look to the moss head. "Here I thought we bonded." he teased with a wide grin.

Nearly balking at the cheesy line, Zoro pushed the blonde away from him. "Asshole! Stop saying weird shit!" When all he got was a low chuckle in reply, Zoro let out a frustrated groan. He pinched at the bridge of his nose for a moment in a weak attempt to calm himself. "What the hell are you trying to do? Why do you keep trying to save me?"

That question seemed to give the cook pause. The grin fell from Sanji's lips as he looked towards the green canopy above them. "I ask myself that same question..."

Silence fell over them as they both were left with unanswered questions. A strange tension followed that kept the both of them quiet as the rain drops filtered through the leaves over head. All of the progress that had been made felt strained. Like the slightest motion could rip it apart and they would revert back to where they started. The way they hesitated to even move spoke enough in itself.

"Dammit, Luffy! Why did you throw them into the woods?_!_"

"Haha! Sorry! Sorry!"

"Don't bother apologizing if you're going to grin like that!"

"Sanji! Zoro! Are you okay?_!_ Where are you?_!_"

Zoro glanced back at the direction their nakama's voices came from, but his attention was drawn to the thin figure casually stuffing his hands into his pockets. Suddenly his mind drifted to the sensation of having that confident hand holding his chin. When it finally dawned on him exactly what the cook had done to him, he wasn't sure if he should be pissed or not. "Oi... What was that earlier?"

Sanji glanced back in mild interest. "What was what?"

For some reason that pulled another growl from Zoro. "Bastard.. You know damn well what I'm talking about!"

All he received was a raised curled brow.

Gritting his teeth, Zoro took a step away from the dented tree towards the blonde. "At the bottom of the cliff.. You almost... Before you kicked me..."

Realization suddenly lit up Sanji's visible eye as that smug smirk returned as strong as ever. "Guess neither of us will ever know." He didn't leave Zoro time to respond as he turned for the direction of the voices. "Nami-swan! Robin-chwan! I'm over here, my loves!" he called out before taking off through the trees.

Left alone in the midst of the trees, Zoro felt his frustration quickly rising. "Fuckin curlicue.. Why the hell did I bother saving him.." But no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't get the memory of those lips out of his head. The path they had taken to his ear still tingled. The sensation had his hand reaching up to trace that path before he knew what he was doing.

"Dammit.." He jerked his hand away from his face a took a deep breath.

He could still smell the smoke that lingered in the air.

"Dammit... What the hell is he doing to me..."

"Zoro! Where are you?_!_"

Steeling himself, Zoro trudged his way out of the woods.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get that smirk out of his head.

'_Shitty demon cook...'_

He had a bad feeling the shittiness had only just begun.

_fjfjfjfjfjfjfj_

TBC

Such tension.

Later~


	4. Surprise me

Storms have a habit of stirring things up.

Enjoy~

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Chapter 4

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No matter how longed they looked at it, no one could believe it.

"Hahaha! Merry looks like a sea monster!"

"Stop laughing and help me clean her!" Usopp shouted as he weakly attempted to pull the clumps of seaweed off the sheep's head.

Miraculously, no real damage was done to the ship. Some of the rigging was tangled. The cargo was tossed all to hell. Things were missing from on deck, but other than that the ship was perfectly fine. Just floating roughly fifty yards from where they had originally anchored her.

"These storms are insane..." Nami glanced towards some of the broken limbs from her mikan trees and sighed deeply as she continued to list the things that were missing from the deck on a clipboard. "If Sanji-kun hadn't been awake to notice the winds changing, we could have really been in trouble."

Robin gave a thoughtful hum as she used a few dozen arms to sweep away the remaining water from the deck. "I wonder why Cook-san and Swordsman-san were up so late. Do you think something happened?"

The redhead gave a soft snort as she continued to write more items down. "Those two? They were probably having another fight to the death over something stupid. It doesn't really matter as long as they help out."

The way it was so flippantly dismissed had Robin quirking up a brow, but she let the conversation end there. They did have more pressing things to deal with.

So far everything was proceeding smoothly to get Merry back in running order.

Sort of.

"Waah! I can't find my goggles!" Usopp wailed as he began turning over everything in sight.

Chopper was in no better state. "I can't find some of my medicine bottles either! Doctorine gave me those! She'll kill me if I lose them!"

"How's that old lady gonna even know, Chopper?" Luffy questioned as he watched his nakama go crazy with worry.

The reindeer seemed to pause as a shudder went through his little body. He glanced back at the captain with a haunted look in his eyes. "She'll know... She always knows... Ahh! I have to find them!" he cried out before he aided Usopp in making another mess of the deck in their frantic search.

Luffy blinked at the reaction and gave a wide grin. "Eeee... Scary witch lady still has Chopper by the horns. Yosh! I'll help with the search! I expect to be rewarded in meat, though!"

"You've been hanging around Nami too long!" Usopp snapped in irritation.

"Hahaha! You're probably right!"

"I heard that!"

"Eee! Scary Nami!"

Hearing the commotion outside, Sanji looked up from his own search of his water logged kitchen. Normally he would be out defending the redhead's honor, but he was far too distracted to attempt it. That alone made him aware of how ragged he really was.

His body ached from last night's desperate sprint. Normally that would have been nothing, but he hadn't gotten any rest for the past two days. Add that to his current injuries, and it was a wonder that he could even move. His back ached from the healing bruises, and he felt his skin tightening around his wound. All of this moving wasn't good for such an injury, but last night took away the choice of recuperating.

'_No point in worrying about that now.'_

Instead he focused everything into the task he had before him. It wasn't surprising that some personal items had been swept away, but his head was hurting the longer he couldn't locate his own missing items.

"Dammit... My best carving knives are gone..." He had spent the past hour pulling open drawers and tearing through cabinets for his missing knives. A few glasses had broken in his haste, which only angered him further.

Ignoring the glass that was scattered about, Sanji continued his desperate search. Of all the things he could lose. _'Why my knives... Go ahead and tear my heart right out of me... Just don't mess with my fuckin knives...' _he thought angrily_. _He couldn't have his set incomplete. He spent so long in gathering the perfect knife set. Scrimped and saved to buy them on his own.

"I have to find them..."

After one last vain attempt to search beneath the scattered crates that had been thrown around the room, Sanji was out of places to look. They were no where in the galley. Sanji felt his throat tighten when that dawned on him. "Dammit... How could they get out of here?" he hissed to himself.

His eyes darted around for any cracks that the knives could have fallen in. That led his eyes to the opened porthole above one of his counters. "No... Fucking shit!" He swiftly kicked a crate next to him, which shattered into thousands of pieces. For once his luck showed when the crate turned out to be empty.

It didn't improve his mood though.

It was bad enough that all of his flour and dry goods had been ruined, but now his knives?

He was pissed.

All of that anger came to a boiling point when his eye caught on the rumpled mass that had once been his favorite suit jacket. He turned away from the disaster that was now his kitchen and crossed the room to pick it up. It was still heavy with water and he could see the ugly patterns that had formed from the salt drying on the black fabric. There was no repairing it this time.

He wanted to scream.

He wanted to tear apart everything around him.

"I... Want this to stop.."

A weary sigh left him as he slumped heavily against the wall. His back throbbed in complaint, but he was feeling too depressed to really care. All he could think of was the moment he purchased the jacket. He had been so thrilled on finding it. It put the finishing touch on the look he had tried so hard to create.

For the longest time, that jacket was his personality. Everyone knew when he meant business the moment he put it on. Anyone that dared mess it up got the business end of his boot.

"Heh.. I can't really kick mother nature's ass.. Not that I would anyway. Wouldn't want to strike a lady..." he mused bitterly to himself.

"Oi.."

Sanji glanced up at the familiar grunt and saw the moss headed swordsman step into the galley. "I'm not gonna be cooking for a while. This place is wrecked. I'll need to clean everything first." he pointed out flatly. It was a miracle Luffy hadn't barged in demanding breakfast yet.

Zoro paused for a moment before he closed the door behind him. "I'm not after food."

A strange feeling had Sanji's hair stand on end on hearing the other's tone. "Then what is it?"

Recognizing the strained edge on that smoky voice, Zoro kept his distance. He examined the way those steady hands were clutching at the rumpled mass of cloth. On seeing the gold buttons, he knew what it was. "I can't find my bandana. I can't remember if I took it off in here or not last night."

Now seeing the bare spot on Zoro's arm, Sanji thought back to before the storm had occurred. He remembered the idiot being a bit too eager to crack into a bottle he had stashed. The sake had splashed onto his arm, soaking the black bandana. "Yeah, you took it off and tossed it onto the counter." When he pointed towards the counter his visible blue eye grew wider when he realized it was the counter right beneath the opened porthole.

His palm collided with his forehead as a deep groan left him. "Shit.. I don't fuckin believe this..."

Zoro was perplexed for a moment, but his gaze soon fixed on the porthole. "... It got sucked out during the storm?"

"Along with my carving knives, apparently." Sanji roughly scrubbed at his face with his hand in frustration. "I'm beginning to think this island is toying with us.." he mumbled against his palm.

A strange conflicted feeling was twisting at Zoro's gut the longer he stood there. On one hand he was pissed about losing his bandana. On the other... "Hey, are you okay? You're not looking too good."

The question was unexpected, but Sanji saw it as the opportunity to bitch. He felt like bitching. "I'm just fuckin tired.. Two nights of being chased by big ass storms combined with losing too much blood. Plus now I'm pissed about my knives. I've had those knives since I was 14..." He glanced down at his jacket and glared at its state. "I've had this jacket since I was 16..."

Zoro never really knew just how personal those items were. He knew Sanji always carried a case of knives with him whenever they had to make an extended trip away from Merry. And that the jacket was always kept in pristine condition. No matter what they went through, Sanji always took the time to mend any damage done to the jacket.

As he looked at the way the blonde was holding the suit jacket, Zoro knew that the piece of clothing had reached its limits. _'That jacket is a part of him... This on top of everything else is going to push him over the edge...'_ In the state the cook was in now, the last thing he needed was that added stress.

The jacket he couldn't do anything about, but the knives...

"Nami said we have three more days until the log pose is set. There's a lot of shit missing. We can probably look for everything while we work on getting resupplied."

Sanji regarded the swordsman for a moment like a vegetable had suddenly began lecturing about physics. He was just stunned that the considerate thought passed through the normally distant man's skull. It made him realize that perhaps he was too quick to judge.

"I... Really don't give you enough credit..." he stated quietly as he let his suit jacket fall to the floor.

It made a strange slopping sound, but Zoro was more interested in the strange demeanor that was settling over the cook. It was subdued. Maybe even a little chagrined. He couldn't comment on it when Sanji began moving towards him. Curious, he allowed the blonde to approach while trying to keep the memories from the night before out of his head. _'He was just playing me last night. Making a dramatic goodbye. He's such a drama queen anyway.'_

His boots came to a stop in front of Zoro's. Only roughly an inch separated them in height, but that fact never really mattered to Sanji. They were just different. Zoro was broad and built for strength. He was sleek and built for speed. Was there really any point in competing and comparing?

As he continued to look into those dark eyes, a frown formed on his pale brow. His left hand lifted to pull back the curtain that hid his other eye. Zoro's own eyes seemed to widen slightly at the action, but he ignored it so he could try to find what he wanted to say. As if the answer was written somewhere on the tan face.

In the end, only one question managed to make it past Sanji's lips. "Why do you keep surprising me?"

He had no idea why, but the question made a slight smirk twitch onto Zoro's lips. "Heh... I ask myself that same question."

It was almost coy the way he said it, and it had Sanji mirroring the smirk for some sadistic reason. "Stupid Marimo." He gave a light slap to the swordsman's cheek before stepping around him to head for the door. "I'm still pissed. I want my knives back, dammit. I'm gonna find 'em even if I hafta kick this shitty island into pieces." he stated with a bit of his normal fire back in his voice.

Zoro would never admit it even on his dying breath, but he liked it when the spastic cook was determined. The light in those blue eyes changed into something else. Something heated.

Just like that moment at the base of the cliff...

A chill shot down his spine. _'Dammit.. I gotta stop thinking of him like that.'_

He kept telling himself that.

But he was beginning to like that chill more and more.

"Damn curlicue."

_fjfjfjfjfjfjfj_

TBC

Chilly

Later~


	5. I won't stop you

Wonder what they'll find.

Enjoy~

_fjfjfjfjfjfjfj_

Chapter 5

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When he had suggested the search, Zoro thought of it as the perfect time to get away from a certain volatile blonde cook.

It wasn't that he was pissed at him or anything. It was simply he couldn't get the annoying fucker out of his head. The moment the bastard saved him back at the hotel room, his mind had been marinating in the images that refused to go away.

Now he found himself noticing little things. Not only noticing, but looking for them. He couldn't hear the sound of a match or a lighter striking without looking for that pallid face lit up by flame light. It was proving to be very distracting. Especially those damn hands. Zoro just couldn't get over those hands.

He actually noticed three little scars on the cook's thumb. Why something like that would even register was simply beyond him. Here he was, covered with various scars, but he continued to wonder how those three insignificant scars got onto those perfect hands.

His head just wasn't cooperating with him. Kept focusing on the stupidest things.

Yes. Time apart would be perfect.

"Oi! Keep up, Shit head! We got a lot of ground to cover!"

Of course, the word perfect never seemed possible in Zoro's world.

Traipsing along the sandy beach after the mouthy cook, Zoro was trying his best not to start a fight. "Why the hell were we dumped on the beach to search?" he grumbled while kicking a shell out of his path.

"Will you quit complaining?" Sanji snapped. "Chopper and Robin-chan went into town for supplies. Luffy and Usopp are helping Nami-san sail to the other side of the island since all the storms are coming from the west. We're the only ones left to search, and we can cover more ground faster. That's if you actually help me, Shitty marimo." he added dryly, but made no move to look back at the figure following him.

This situation wasn't helping Sanji's inner conflict either._ 'This is so stupid.. This isn't like me.. I take what I want or woo it into submission..' _The thought of trying either one towards the towering numbskull made his eye twitch.

It wasn't the fact he was a man. That probably mattered the least. It was just... _'He's Zoro...'_

He couldn't even describe it. Which was probably the most irritating thing.

Luckily he was able to push those thoughts out of his head for a moment when he noticed the sunlight glinting off of something buried in the sand. He approached it and saw that it was some sort of yellow glass. His fingers pried it from the sand and he easily noticed the smudged label on the side. "Oi! Found one of Chopper's bottles. Get the list out."

Zoro's eyes narrowed at being ordered around, but he bit his tongue and complied. After fishing out the note from under his haramaki, he glanced through until he found where a yellow bottle had been listed. Marking through it, he looked over what was left. "There are three more bottles missing... Other than your knives and Usopp's goggles, the rest can be easily replaced." he commented before folding the list back up.

"I know, but it would be better if we could find at least a few more things." Sanji walked back to where the swordsman had stopped and stepped behind him to get at the back pack they had been given. He opened up the backpack and carefully placed the glass bottle in a box that Chopper had told them to use.

It was surprising that Zoro wasn't complaining about playing pack mule, but Sanji knew why. He also knew why the moss head was being so subdued to all of his insults. _'He doesn't want to get into a fight... Doesn't want me to get myself injured worse than I already am...' _He closed up the backpack and allowed his hands to linger atop the shoulder straps.

They lingered a bit too long.

Feeling the contact stretch out into a full minute, Zoro glanced back only to see that far away gaze on the shadowed face. It was happening more often, and they seemed to grow more intense as the dark circle beneath the blue eye grew darker. A daze that the blonde was drawn into deeper and deeper as time passed.

It made Zoro worry what would happen if he was drawn in too deep.

He had to do something.

"Oi.. You look like shit."

The rude comment had Sanji blink in confusion before that flat glare was back on his face. "You certainly know how to charm a guy, Marimo." He roughly shoved the bastard away from him and trudged back down the beach.

At least he would have if a hand didn't clamp tightly on his wrist.

Sanji looked down at the hand detaining him, then back at the owner of the hand. There was a hard edge to the dark eyes watching him. He wasn't certain if he had ever seen that look before. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" he asked as a frown furrowed his brow.

Reminding himself not to do anything to provoke a confrontation, Zoro silenced all the sarcastic thoughts that first popped into his head. He tightened his grip on the thin wrist and steeled himself. "You're exhausted. You haven't rested at all, and you're about to burn yourself out. We agreed with the others to search each day until we find the things that can't be replaced. We don't have to find everything right now." he stated calmly. He was actually proud of himself how he managed to keep his cool.

As was Sanji. Which made him that much more suspicious. "What exactly are you proposing?"

A quick glance around the area of beach they were at let Zoro catch sight of a large tree at the edge of the sand. The broad palm leaves blanketed the area below it in a nice shade. "Under that tree over there. You're going to spend some time resting."

Sanji looked at the tree in question. It didn't look like a bad spot to catch a quick nap, but he still couldn't let go of the little voice telling him to be on guard. He looked back to the swordsman and raised his visible brow. "And if I refuse?"

Zoro's eyes narrowed at being tested. "Then I'll let you wear your retarded ass out and cart you back to the ship before telling Chopper everything you've been keeping from him."

A threat?

No..

More than a threat.

"You fucking bastard... You're blackmailing me!" Sanji accused before jerking his hand away.

The accusation actually stung, but Zoro kept his expression neutral. "You're the only one that sees it that way. I see it as bringing our doctor's attention to a medical problem."

Put so blandly, Sanji knew that the moss head meant it. _'He's right... It's stupid of me to call it blackmailing, but that's still what it boils down to..'_ Unable to look into those glaring eyes, Sanji turned away and scrubbed at his face in frustration. "Dammit.. Fine. Just stop glaring at me."

Knowing that he had won this time, Zoro decided not to press his luck. He headed for the tree he had pointed out, and listened carefully for the muffled footsteps following not far behind him. Once at the tree, he shrugged off the backpack and sat it down on the sand along with his katana. He waited until the blonde plopped down ungracefully on the white sand before settling down himself. Seated, he watched with a frown at the way the cook automatically buried his face in his hands.

Silence stretched on for a long moment, but the normally brazen cook made no move to leave the slumped posture.

Zoro didn't like this. Where was the fire? The hostility? That explosive personality that drove him up the fuckin wall? _'Where is Sanji..?'_

Finally he couldn't take it. He had to know.

"Dammit, what's wrong? Why are you acting like getting help is going to ruin you?" His voice was gruffer than he intended, but he needed to know. Even if he couldn't do anything else, he at least wanted to understand.

Despite everything, Sanji's hands were still like rock when they lowered from his face. He met the irritating swordsman's gaze, but past the anger he clearly saw the concern. Zoro was worried about him. Actually cared. It wasn't something he was used to.

"I'm not used to getting help." he finally stated.

That just seemed too simple. "There's gotta be more than that for you to put yourself through this shit." Zoro pushed none too gently.

Blue eyes narrowed as Sanji propped his elbows on his knees. "Sharks go into a frenzy when they smell blood in the water."

The gruesome analogy caused a bitter taste in Zoro's mouth. "Are you saying they pounced on a weakness back at that restaurant?"

A sarcastic snort left the blonde as he fixed his gaze on the stretch of sand between them. "That's putting it mildly. I was the youngest. I spent the first three years as nothing but a punching bag errand boy. I had to lie, cheat, steal, fuckin everything I could to get to the position I ended at. Asking for help was asking for a kick in the gut." Old memories were being stirred up that he would have preferred forgotten. He wasn't in the right state to deal with it, but it was easier than dealing with that damn glare.

Hearing that readily cleared up a lot for Zoro. But something didn't sound right. "Didn't that old guy look after you?"

Sanji gave a choked laugh and ran his hands through his hair. "He kept me alive, if that's what you mean. Stepped in before I got myself killed when I managed to piss off the wrong person." He let out a deep breath and allowed him to fall back on the soft sand. He didn't care about the pain it caused his back. He was glad of the distraction.

Zoro wanted to snap at him for being so careless with his injury, but that didn't sound like something he would say. _'Then again I haven't really been acting like myself at all.. Not around him...' _

"You'll get sand in your wounds if you lay on your back like that." he stated instead. It was a simple fact. No harm in pointing out that.

"What do you suggest I lay on? ..." Sanji suddenly trailed off as a smirk curled his lips. He sat up straight and locked his half lidded eyes on the bemused stare that was fixed on him. _'Heh.. Definitely prefer that clueless stare...'_

When the blonde began crawling the distance between them across the sand, Zoro's eyebrows shot up high. "What are you doing..?"

The waver in that deep voice had Sanji's smirk growing. "You told me not to lay on the sand." His hands reached up to the broad shoulders and gave them a firm shove.

Zoro was knocked back to the sand with a grunt. He was about to snap out an indignant growl, but his breath caught in his throat when a warm weight settled on top of him. His gaze shot down in time to see that blonde head resting on his chest. It really didn't register until he felt those strong hands fisting in his shirt. Sanji was.. Laying on him..?

"... What... Do you think you're doing..?" he managed to get out on a somewhat normal tone. This was insane.

Sanji hid his grin by nuzzling his face against the surprisingly soft white shirt the swordsman wore. "I'm getting some rest, like you told me. Now shut the fuck up. I'm trying to sleep here."

His grin shifted into a lazy smirk when he felt those strong arms hesitantly wrap around him. Surprisingly, the sound of Zoro's steady heartbeat did relax him considerably. The warmth around him and the almost bashful embrace was all it took for Sanji's fatigue to finally catch up with him.

As his eyes grew heavy he clutched tighter at the white shirt. "If I didn't know any better... I would start thinking you like me..." he mumbled quietly.

For some reason those words made Zoro tighten his hold on the blonde. "... Seems like it..."

A weak chuckle left the cook as his eyes finally slid shut. "Stupid Marimo... You're not supposed to fall for your rival.."

"Oi, I never said that..." When his complaint went unanswered, Zoro noticed that the blonde was breathing slow and deep. _'He.. He's asleep...'_

Now that he wouldn't have to worry about ridicule, Zoro felt his cheeks heat slightly. He couldn't believe that the supposed ladies man would willingly try something like this. With him of all people. It felt so weird. It was too strange to really comprehend.

He glanced around a bit cautiously just in case he suddenly spotted anyone, but he immediately chided himself. _'I'm being paranoid.. What do I care if anyone sees... There.. There's nothing wrong with this...'_

The moment his mind said it something seemed to fall into place. Nothing was wrong with it. They were supposed to look after one another. This was just another way to.

Zoro looked down at the head resting on his chest. His eyes followed the way the sun colored strands spilled onto his shirt. That blonde hair always looked so perfect. _'Just.. Just once..'_

His right hand lifted up to the blonde locks. Gently, he let his fingers comb through the silky threads. It almost amazed him how soft the golden hair felt to his touch. He couldn't stop himself from continuing running his fingers through it. It was hypnotic watching the blonde hair spill through his fingers.

Everything seemed to slow to a crawl. The waves inched their way to the shore. Whispy white clouds hung in sky. The sounds dulled into nothing more than a hum. Zoro was entranced.

A perfect peaceful moment.

'_This isn't good... It's hijacking all of my senses...'_ Zoro frowned, but it was short lived when he noticed the scent of smoke and a light cologne. It came from the hair he was playing with, so he craned his head forward to bury his face in the blonde silk. He took a deep breath in and held it. Committing that scent to memory.

On releasing the breath, Zoro let his head fall back carelessly to the sand. "Fuck... Something's happening here..."

What that was, he couldn't really say.

He didn't want to say.

'_Still... This feels good..'_

For the moment, that's all that mattered.

_fjfjfj_

He wasn't sure what stirred him from his sleep, but Sanji immediately recognized the snore that rumbled beneath him.

'_What the hell..?' _

His eyes snapped open and immediately took in his surroundings. He recognized the beach that stretched out in front of him, but the warmth that was wrapped around was something foreign to him. It was different than what he was used to. It was heavy, firm and hot. It felt like he was sleeping on top of a giant loaf of fresh baked bread.

'_It feels kinda nice...'_

The snore occurred again and had Sanji tilting his head up. Blue eyes grew wide the moment they saw the tan face of a familiar marimo. _'Z.. Zoro..?'_

Balking at the position he was in, Sanji bit his lip hard to keep from shouting. _'What the hell am I doing here...?_!_ Think think think!' _

After a tense and frantic search of his memory, Sanji soon recalled being forced to rest by the blackmailing asshole. He also recalled who instigated their current position. When he finally remembered, Sanji let out a mental groan and buried his face in the white shirt.

'_Dammit.. I forgot how impulsive I get when I'm fatigued...'_ It used to get him into a lot of trouble when he was younger, but he had managed to keep himself in check for a good while. The fact that he was in this situation now only proved to him how strung out he was getting.

After his heart finally slowed to normal, Sanji risked another glance up. Seeing the moss head sleeping this close was a bit weird. As was being in his grasp. Still, he couldn't deny that the position was comfy.

'_And from the position of the shadows, we've been here for a good two hours... We should probably get up soon...'_

Even though that's what he was thinking, Sanji made no move to leave his perch. He didn't really want to. _'Heh.. I must be crazy. Liking such an idiot marimo...'_ If he was really honest with himself, he would admit that he had always like the bastard. Not in the sense he was hinting towards now, but he always respected that bull headed moron.

With how Zoro was currently holding him, it was a bit apparent that Sanji meant at least something to him. Then again, they were nakama. They were supposed to mean at least something to one another.

'_Meh... this is too complicated to worry about. Whatever happens happens. As long as he doesn't go all alpha male on me, I won't be forced to kill him.'_ Sanji mused as he allowed himself to relax against the body beneath him.

His eyes lazily lingered over the somewhat romantic scenery that surrounded him. Blue sky above. White sand that stretched out to the gentle waves lapping at the shore. Sound of the ocean mingling with the distant call of sea birds. The scent of tropical wild flowers dancing along the cool breeze. The feel of a warm body beneath his own.

This definitely appealed to his romantic side.

'_Heh.. Just like marimo to do something that he is completely clueless of. Everything's just about perfect... If it wasn't for that black thing floating on the water, the view would be perfect.'_

When his eyes followed the little black blob floating on the water, he noticed that it actually had a dark green sheen to it when the light hit it. _'Hm.. Kinda looks like cloth...'_

'_Cloth?_!_'_

Blue eyes shot wide open when it looked as if the cloth was sinking into the water. "No... No!"

Hearing the shout immediately woke Zoro, but the feel of the form ripped from his arms had him sitting up abruptly. His guard was high as he immediately looked for any threats, but he soon locked on the blonde running for the water. "Sanji..?"

His eyes widened when the black shoes were kicked off before the cook began running into the surf. "Sanji! What the hell are you doing?_!_" he called out while scrambling to his feet.

By the time he ran to the water's edge, Sanji had already dove in. "Sanji!" Zoro's first impulse was to dive in after him and drag his ass back to land. But he stopped himself. There was a purposeful edge to the blonde's movements. Like he was after something in the water.

"Maybe.. He spotted something.." he mumbled to himself as he waited.

His concern spiked higher the further Sanji swam out. It took all of his restraint to stay put when the cook eventually went under the water. Seconds ticked by agonizingly slow to the point Zoro was struggling not to dive in. After a full minute passed, Zoro's teeth were clenched tightly along with his trembling fists.

'_I'll give him ten more seconds..'_

Luckily the full ten weren't needed when that blonde head finally breached the water. Zoro could hear the gasp Sanji took for air and watched closely as that thin form began swimming back for shore.

He waited with a scowl on his face until the idiot cook was on his feet walking through the surf towards him. "What the fuck was all that for? You just ruined your bandages. What was so important it couldn't wait two fucking minutes to wake me up for?" he asked flatly. He couldn't stand it anymore. That damn curlicue was just taking too many careless risks.

Sanji came to a stop a few feet in from of the glaring man. The waves were still lapping at his bare feet as the water dripped off of his body. He glanced down at his right pants pocket and reached inside. "It was sinking too fast. If I had waited, the undercurrent would have swept it away before I could tell you."

Zoro was about to demand what when a familiar piece of cloth was slowly pulled out of the pocket. _'My... Bandana...'_ He had given up on ever finding it, but now it was being held out to him by the pale hands that commanded his attention. The astonishment was written on his face as he reached out to take the soaked bandana. Once it was in his grasp, it could only stare at it for a moment before looking back at his comrade.

For some reason that blonde head was bowed, causing the dripping locks to hide his eyes. The sight had Zoro frowning. "Why did you go to the trouble?" he asked quietly.

The soaked head lifted to show a confused frown creasing the pale brow. "Why..? Because it's important to you. I couldn't let sink without at least trying to get it back."

It was the last thing Zoro expected to hear. Seeing the open honesty in that single blue eye tugged at something deep inside his chest. He didn't even attempt to resist the urge to brush the dripping curtain of bangs aside so he could see all of that beautiful face. _'Yeah.. He is beautiful.. I can admit that..' _he mused to himself.

His hand moved to carefully cup the damp face. He allowed his thumb to trace the curve of Sanji's cheek. That skin was so smooth. Flawless. And those pale lips. They looked soft.

Sanji allowed the contact, to his own surprise. He was making his own observations, but it was all things he had seen before. He liked the caramel color of Zoro's skin. The strong angles of his face. That calm gleam in the dark eyes. _'No.. There's something different in those eyes...'_

He didn't have long to ponder the difference when he noticed the space between them was no longer there. The dark eyes were filling his vision as a soft touch pressed against his lips. Although the contact startled him, Sanji didn't pull away. Instead he allowed his eyes to close as his lips returned the gentle pressure.

It was a chaste kiss. Simple, but more than adequate. Neither of them pressed for anything further than the tender contact, but they both lingered for several moments. Taking in the warmth they felt from the other's presence.

Zoro was the first to break the kiss, but he didn't pull away. His hand raised up to tangle in the wet locks as he pressed their foreheads together. There he merely held on for a few seconds until a deep breath finally left him. "Thank you, Sanji..." he mumbled quietly.

Sanji kept his eyes closed, but a smile curled his lips. "Stupid Marimo.. I told you that you shouldn't be falling for me."

The playful hint in those words pulled a soft chuckle from Zoro. "I'm trying not to. You being a curly brained nut job. I'd go crazy dealing with all your spastic shit."

"Like you're any better. All you do is eat, sleep, growl and piss me off." Sanji's eyes finally cracked open. The first thing that greeted him was a barely there smile that ghosted over both the dark lips and the eyes locked onto him. There was a gentleness in that expression that Sanji had never seen before. A gentleness that he didn't think was possible.

His smile turned into an exasperated smirk as he let his own hand raise up to run through that strange green hair. It was thick, but soft. _'Heh... It feels like clover...' _After threading his fingers through the green strands, Sanji let out a restless sigh. "Dammit.. Why do you always surprise me?"

An amused hum left Zoro at the frustrated question. "I believe I'm giving what I get." On some strange impulse, Zoro took up his bandana and began tying it around Sanji's head.

Sanji blinked at the strange act, but he stayed still until the wet fabric was tied secure at the back of his head. It felt weird, but he was soon smirking at his companion. "What? I don't look like enough of a pirate for you?" he teased, his hand dropping down to rest on the green haramaki.

Secretly admiring the way his bandana looked on the blonde, Zoro gave a light snort. "Actually, I always thought you looked like an overpriced hitman for some crime syndicate."

"Overpriced, huh? I'm slightly insulted." Sanji gave a shove to the wall of muscle and wandered away to where he had kicked off his shoes.

Zoro watched that slender figure bend over to collect his shoes. He could see the lines of the bandages beneath the soaked shirt, but a little sadistic part of his mind was glad. This meant that the blonde would need his aid again. Twisted, yes, but the thought of Sanji needing him did something to him.

He followed the cook back to where he had left his katana and the backpack in the shade of the palm tree. There the blonde snatched up the backpack and rummaged through its various pockets. Soon he pulled out his black cigarette case and a lighter.

Again he was left staring as the damp face was lit up after a strike of the lighter.

Sanji took a drag off of his fresh cigarette and held it in deep. That blissful feeling relaxed him as his eyes closed. After a drawn out moment he let out the smoke in a long stream until his lungs were empty. "Mm... Answer a question for me, Marimo."

An eyebrow lifted at the mellow tone, but Zoro decided to play along. "Sure."

Instead of asking his question, Sanji first took another drag. His eyes were still closed as he attempted to put his thoughts into words. After a moment he let out the smoke and spoke. "Are you getting closer to me because you want to be closer..." His eyes cracked open and locked on the swordsman. "Or are you trying to honor some sense of obligation because I was wounded when I saved you?"

The question made a heavy weight fall to the pit of Zoro's stomach. He wasn't sure how to answer. Having those cool blue eyes fixed on him made it all the more difficult to string his words together. _'Dammit.. I.. I don't want to piss him off...'_

When the normally blunt man hesitated, another smirk twitched over Sanji's features. It was a strange smirk. Strained. "I see. That's fine." Shoes safely tucked away in the crook of his right arm, the cook calmly turned and walked with a casual stride barefoot across the warm sand. "Do what you have to do, Zoro. I won't stop you." he called out with wave of his hand.

The sudden departure startled Zoro. "Oi... Sanji, wait!" When the blonde kept walking, he growled to himself as he gathered up the backpack and his katana. The moment he had everything he moved quickly to catch up. _'He really doesn't seem angry.. Or disappointed.. It's like he already knew my answer...'_ For some reason that only made his building guilt grow.

Guilt was what made him want to tend to the idiot. _'Dammit.. No wonder he's walking away from me... He's thinking I'm only being nice because I owe him...'_ It was part of the reason, but Zoro was finding it was more than that.

He...

Liked Sanji.

'_I guess now I have to prove it.'_

Somehow that sounded like a potentially deadly task.

'_Heh.. Might be fun.'_

_fjfjfjfjfjfjfj_

TBC

You can do it, Zoro!

Maybe.

Later~


	6. Don't

Emotions can change faster than the weather on the Grand Line.

Enjoy~

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Chapter 6

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The entire walk to the other side of the island had been dead silent.

At least between the two pirates.

They had to wander through a few villages that were bustling with activity. They weren't all that different from all the other villages they had visited in the past. None of the citizens seemed to take much notice of them as they wandered through. At least the majority of them didn't. To Zoro's astonishment, he watched as the pervy cook walked right past some rather attractive women who were watching him without so much as a glance in their direction.

If that wasn't surprising enough, at one point when they were passing a clothes line, Sanji smoothly reached out and tugged a black button up shirt off the line without pause. He watched the blonde calmly tug on the button up shirt like it was his own. It was a size too big for him, but it went well with his now dry black jeans and the bandana that was still tied around his head.

The fact Sanji made no move to take off the bandana puzzled Zoro. After their conversation on the beach, he had expected the blonde to be pissed at him. To blow up and avoid him like the plague.

Having him not acknowledge his presence at all proved to be more grating on his nerves. Not once did Sanji look back to even check if he was still following. He kept moving forward with that same casual stride. Like he owned the ground he walked on. It was captivating and irritating at the same time.

As they were traveling through another small village, Zoro watched as a few young women stared openly at Sanji as he walked past. Giggling and whispering to one another as their cheeks flushed. One young lady eventually worked up the nerve to approach the blonde.

She was blushing like mad, but held her ground when Sanji stopped to look at her. Then with a meek smile she held up a vibrant blue flower up to him.

A warm smile curled Sanji's lips on seeing the flower. "Is that for me?" he asked on a velvety voice.

The girl's blush instantly grew as she nodded quickly.

Sanji's smile grew as he gently took the flower from her delicate hands. He then took hold of her chin and tilted it up to place a tender kiss to her forehead. "Thank you, my dear lady." he cooed before pulling away and continuing down the path.

Zoro watched the girl nearly faint at the treatment before the other young women all converged on her giggling like mad. _'What the hell was that..? He.. He was actually smooth right then...' _He was stunned. Not one stupid dance. No gushing. No pink hearts or immediate declarations of love.

This was just too weird.

Closing up the space between them, Zoro noticed Sanji taking in the scent of the flower with a pleased smile on his face. "Oi... What was all of that?"

Sanji looked away from his flower to his comrade now walking beside him. "What was what?"

A disbelieving look fell over Zoro's face. "You just passed seven women that were all staring at you. You didn't even look at them."

"Yeah... So?" Sanji asked with a raised brow.

"So? That's not like you. You're usually a babbling idiot by now. What's the deal?"

The way it was said put the blonde off a bit, but he returned his gaze to the path ahead. "I'm not really dressed for entertaining ladies. Plus my bandages are slipping. I'll probably be bleeding through this shirt in a minute."

Understanding why the black shirt was stolen off the line, Zoro wondered if the salt water was aggravating the wound. "Should I change them when we get back?"

For some reason, the blue eyes narrowed at the attentive question. "If you want." He looked to the flower in his hand and lightly twirled it between his fingers. "I never really got why people pick flowers. It doesn't matter how well you take care of them. You have to watch them slowly wither and die..."

His feet hit the wooden boards of a small bridge that arched over a stream at the edge of the village. On reaching the middle of the bridge, Sanji paused and looked at the flower for a moment longer. "I don't want to see that... I'd rather remember them when they were beautiful."

The blonde brought the flower close to breathe in its scent one last time. Then with a fling of his wrist, the blue flower sailed over the bridge railing and fell into the stream.

Zoro watched in confusion as the water swept the flower away. As the flower disappeared from his sight, a strange sense of unease fell over him. The sound of the cook's heavy black shoes had him looking back to the thin figure walking away. _'Why.. Do I get the feeling that he's not talking about flowers...?' _

That heavy feeling landed back in his gut.

Something just wasn't right.

_fjfjfj_

The rest of the journey to the small beach where the others took Merry was somehow even quieter than before.

Much to Zoro's infinite frustration.

At this point, the cook wouldn't even look at him.

Zoro made a few observations. Tried to point out things of interest, but he was lucky if he even got a 'hm' for his efforts.

'_But he doesn't seem pissed.. Nothing about him seems like he's angry...'_

If the blonde had been angry, Zoro could have easily dealt with that. This total indifference was driving him crazy. He honestly didn't think Sanji was capable of being indifferent.

Sanji was a passionate man about everything. Everything he did was done with everything he had to give. Chores, cooking, flirting, fighting, everything he poured his heart and soul into. Zoro knew this from the moment he first saw the blonde.

Seeing him like this...

'_It.. Actually hurts...'_ Zoro knew this wasn't the Sanji he had spent so long fighting with. Something happen back on the beach. Something he had done. _'But what? What did I do?'_

The only answer he received was the sound of Sanji's shoes hitting the gangplank.

"Oi! Anyone home?" Sanji called out as he boarded the ship.

"Up here!"

Sanji lifted his head to see Usopp waving from the crow's nest. "Where is everyone?"

An exasperated sigh left the sniper as he leaned against the edge of the crow's nest. "Robin and Chopper came back to drop off the supplies they bought, then left again because they heard a nearby village has a big library and some book stores. Nami heard that some really rich lady is offering this huge reward for a missing cat, so she drug Luffy off to look for it." Usopp finished with a wave of his hand.

A slight smirk twitched onto Sanji's lips. "Heh, so you got left with ship duty."

"Yup..." Usopp blinked when he saw the bandana on the blonde's head. "Sanji, why are you wearing Zoro's bandana?" he asked as he started to climb down from the crow's nest.

Sanji glanced briefly at the swordsman walking up the gangplank before folding his hands behind his head and grinning wide. "I saved it from certain doom, so I told Marimo if he wants it back he's either got to fight me for it, or admit that I'm better than him."

Zoro froze for a moment at the sudden challenge. He could tell from the cook's voice that he meant it. After looking at that grin, his eyes narrowed. "I'm debating on if I even want it back. I don't want to catch your stupidity." he shot back with a slight growl.

Instead of getting pissed, Sanji's grin turned into a sinister smirk. His eyes locked with the swordsman's as a purring laugh left him. "Spoken like a guy afraid to get his ass handed to him."

This was more than a challenge. One look into those darkened blue eyes told Zoro that the blonde was was daring him to try and take the bandana back._ 'He wants to fight...'_

The moment he recognized it he felt that guilt gnawing at his insides again. The blonde was already seriously weakened. Any further confrontation could cause lethal damage. _'Sanji knows that... But he still wants me to fight him..'_

He couldn't look into those piercing eyes anymore. Without a word he turned away and headed for below deck. He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end from the intense stare that followed him. He had to rethink this. What had he done worth such contempt?

On seeing the display, Usopp nearly fell the remaining six feet to the deck. "I... I've never seen Zoro just walk away like that..." He hopped down to the deck and hesitantly walked over to the cook. "Damn, Sanji... I feel a weird tension between you two... Weirder than normal... Did something happen out there?"

Sanji took note of the concern in his friend's voice, but offered his usual easy smile. "Nothing I didn't expect to happen. Don't worry about it."

Usopp still frowned at the way it was dismissed so easily. He knew the blonde well enough to know when he was avoiding a problem. But he also knew there was no talking the stubborn man out of a decision, so he let it drop. "Well, did you guys find anything?"

"We found most of Chopper's missing bottles and a couple jars of nails and screws. We also found some of the spare planks and coils of rope, but they were too fucked up to bother saving. We'll have to stock up on those too." Sanji explained as he fished out a cigarette.

As the cook lit up, Usopp sighed deeply and rubbed at the back of his neck. "All of the gunpowder got soaked as well. I'll need to get that later."

Feeling a bit more at ease after he took a drag, Sanji gave a thoughtful hum. "Why don't you go ahead and do that? I'm going to be here rearranging the kitchen inventory and preparing dinner. You don't need to stay."

"Eh? Now? But what if another storm stirs up?_!_" Usopp squeaked as his eyes immediately shot up to the sky.

"You worry too much." Sanji poked at the long nose until it provoked that irritated glare that always amused him. "They've been happening at night anyway, so just make sure you get back before dark."

Swatting at the hand prodding him, Usopp fixed a less than thrilled stare on the blonde. "That doesn't have me soaring with confidence. All of that stuff is heavy! How am I supposed to bring it back on my own?"

"I'll go."

The deep voice had the two looking back to see Zoro approaching them without the backpack.

On seeing the strange flat expression on Zoro's face, Usopp was a bit wary. "You sure? You just got back."

Zoro's eyes flickered to the cook to see that the blonde head was turned away from him. A frown twitched over his brow for a moment before he focused on the uneasy sniper. "I'm sure. Let's go."

Noticing the weird tension suddenly spiking between the two, Usopp swallowed hard and looked between the two nervously. "Ah.. Well.. I'll go get my bag and be right back..."

The quiet pair paid no real attention to the sniper as he scurried below deck.

Zoro had been glaring at the gangplank, but, when he saw that the cook was making no move to leave, he risked another glance.

Right hand stuffed in his pocket, Sanji was smoking calmly. Once more his gaze was fixed on the horizon. That far away look settled deep in his eyes. It was like nothing around him existed other than the cigarette his lips were wrapped around.

'_What the fuck is going on in his head...'_

"Hey..."

"Hm..?"

"Are you going to be okay here by yourself?"

Sanji was still for a moment after the question was asked. "I suppose that depends on your definition of 'okay'." he muttered before tossing his cigarette over the deck railing.

Zoro's eyes followed the path of the half spent smoke before they were drawn to the blonde walking away. "Oi, wait."

He was about to reach out and take hold of the retreating shoulder, but the cook suddenly spun around and caught the tan hand in midair. The steel like grip that was making his wrist joint creak in complaint startled him. "What the hell are you..." Zoro's words completely failed him when he saw the gaze he was under.

The blue eyes glared at him from beneath the edges of his bandana. Steady and intense.

"Sanji..."

On hearing his name, Sanji tightened his grip on the thick wrist. "Don't." he whispered before finally releasing his hold.

Zoro barely had time to breathe before the blonde had already scaled the stairs and quietly closed the galley door behind him. He lightly rubbed at the bruises already starting to form on his wrist as he stared at that closed door. What had just happened? What was that look for? It was almost seething.

There was an aura that had spiked briefly around the blonde in that moment. One he knew too well. _'I've.. Never felt a killing intent from him before...' _

"Z.. Zoro..?"

Broken out of his shock, Zoro looked to see Usopp slowly approaching him on trembling knees. "Usopp..?"

Usopp was clutching his bag protectively over his chest as his gaze shifted between the swordsman and the closed galley door. "What.. What's wrong with Sanji? I've never.. I've never seen him so angry before..." he whispered, fearing the cook might hear him.

Zoro's eyes widened when he realized that Usopp must have seen the entire exchange between them. For the sniper to be able to feel the hatred meant that Zoro wasn't imagining things.

He looked back to the galley and frowned. "I don't know."

'_Dammit... What did I do?'_

Still left with no answers, Zoro let out a deep breath and turned towards the gangplank. "Let's go. We've got a lot to pick up before night fall."

"Okay..."

Suddenly, Usopp was less afraid of the storms hitting the island.

'_I'd rather deal with a hurricane than the storm building in the galley...'_

He had a feeling the hurricane would be more merciful.

_fjfjfjfjfjfjfjfj_

TBC

The Grand Line hath no fury like a cook's scorn.

Later~


	7. Nothing

Not all storms come from the sky.

Enjoy~

_fjfjfjfjfjfjfj_

Chapter 7

_fjfjfjfjfjfjfj_

"I wonder if Sanji calmed down yet.."

Lightly shifting the two large gun powder kegs he had his arms wrapped around, Zoro wasn't sure if the answer to that would be positive. "We'll just have to see..."

Their shopping trip had proven to be successful, and uneventful. The two didn't say much to one another, which wasn't that strange on Zoro's part. He normally gave noncommittal grunts in response to whatever Usopp decided to ramble on about.

This time Usopp kept quiet almost the entire time.

It was weird. Not hearing him prattle on about some elaborate story he had concocted on the fly.

'_Just proves how much he's worried about Sanji..'_

Ahead they saw Merry in no worse shape, which was a miracle if the short tempered cook really was mad. The two of them were actually prepared to return to a pile of burning slag. Seeing the ship still afloat seemed promising.

The closer they got, they soon could hear Luffy carrying on about something as he bounced around the deck with Chopper in tow.

"Only three more bottles, Chopper!" Luffy cheered excitedly.

"I know! Thank you, Sanji! I have no idea what I would have done if I lost all of them!" Chopper squealed in delight.

"Heh. Hopefully the others will turn up before we leave. Anyway, dinner will be ready shortly if everyone would like to go into the galley."

"Shouldn't we wait for Zoro and Usopp?" Nami questioned lightly.

"Eh, I'm sure they'll be back soon."

"If not, I have claim to their shares!" Luffy declared.

On hearing the threat of his food being swiped, Usopp ran for the gangplank. "You're not getting my food, Luffy!"

Expecting the outburst from the sniper, Zoro kept up a more moderate pace as he boarded the ship soon after. The moment his feet hit the deck he was suddenly face to face with the cook. Seeing the blonde had Zoro stopping in his tracks as his gaze flickered over the pale man. His bandana was still tied around the blonde head. In fact it looked as if it hadn't been touched at all.

The only thing that Zoro noticed different was the loose black sweater that now hid the thin upper body.

That and the aloof stare that was fixed on him.

Sanji seemed to hesitate for a brief moment. Like he was waiting for the swordsman to say something. When nothing left the tan lips, blue eyes narrowed slightly for a moment longer before the cook turned away to head for the Galley. "Everyone's here. Let's go ahead and start dinner." he called out to the others.

Blatantly brushed off, Zoro bit back the growl that wanted to form. _'Dammit.. This is seriously starting to piss me off...'_ his mind grumbled as he sat down the gunpowder kegs.

What the hell was his problem?

In the galley, dinner started like it always did.

Sanji was all over the kitchen serving everyone. Pampering the ladies, fighting off Luffy, and making sure everyone was taken care of with his usual dramatic flare. However when he stopped by Zoro's place at the table, he didn't even bother to make eye contact as he sat down the breadbowl pasta dish that had been entirely made from scratch. No insults. No sarcastic comments. No words of any kind.

It was like Zoro was just taking up space in the cook's kitchen. _'I'm getting tired of this.. He better say something soon, or I'm going to go off..' _he thought while taking up his fork.

"Sanji-kun, you've really outdone yourself. This pasta is amazing!" Nami chirped before taking another bite.

The cook was immediately beaming at the compliment. "I'm glad you're enjoying it, Nami-swan! I figured we all need a bit of a treat after all the shit we've had to deal with lately."

"That's for sure. This island is crazy! I thought this was going to be a routine supply stop." Usopp whined lightly before digging back into his meal.

"As long as everyone's okay, it's not that bad." Luffy called out while gnawing on his extra large breadbowl.

"Are we going to look for more of our missing things tomorrow?" Chopper asked, still worried about his missing bottles.

The sniper nearly choked on the bite he had just taken. "Ack! Yes! I still need to find my goggles!"

"Perhaps Doctor-san and I should go out tomorrow to search." Robin suggested. She looked to the blue nosed doctor and smiled. "Maybe you could locate the items by smell while I could place a few eyes around to increase our coverage."

The reindeer blinked for a moment then smiled brightly. "I can do that! As long as they're not in the water, I should be able to find them!"

"That's a great idea, Robin. You should be able to find everything in no time." Nami said happily. Happily because then she wouldn't have to shell out the extra money for replacements.

"Oh yeah.." Luffy turned to his first mate across the table and grinned. "When are you going to rescue your bandana from Sanji, Zoro? He's been wearing it all day."

Zoro's eyes flickered towards the cook who was lightly picking at a smaller portion of dinner at the counter. The reason being that the only free seat at the table was beside Zoro. "Hn, I'm biding my time. I don't want it ripped apart, so I'll have to take it back when he's not looking."

"You? Sneak up on Sanji-kun? That's rich." Nami snickered into her drink.

"Haha! What do you say to that, Sanji?"

Sanji looked to his captain after a brief glance at the swordsman. "Heh.. Marimo's welcome to try."

Luffy's hands shot up in the air in excitement. "Yosh! Bandana fight! This should be awesome!"

A strange expression flickered over the cook's face. It was there barely a second, but Zoro saw it. That barely contained anger.

"It'll certainly be interesting." Sanji picked up his plate and took it over to the table. "Here, Luffy. I snacked a bit too much during my prep work. You can have the rest of mine."

The captain immediately snatched the food with a wide grin. "Thanks, Sanji! You're awesome!"

Hearing that chirping answer made a little smile twitch at the pale lips. "It's no problem. I'm gonna go out for a smoke. You guys enjoy." he called out with a wave of his hand.

Usopp watched the blond leave, and, the moment the galley door was closed, he looked uneasily at Zoro.

Zoro noticed the questioning look he was getting, but he gave a faint shake of his head. He didn't want the others dragged into a dispute that didn't involve them. _'At least not when I haven't even figured out what the hell is going on..'_

Maybe he would find out tonight.

_fjfjfj_

Zoro waited.

And waited...

... And waited...

'_Dammit, where the hell is he?'_

His eyes locked on the empty hammock that was normally swaying with the weight of a certain blonde. He had turned in at the normal time, as did the rest of the crew. However as the minutes ticked by, the cook never showed.

Now that he thought of it, he couldn't recall seeing Sanji from the moment dinner was through. It was as if the cook disappeared like a cloud of his precious smoke.

That thought had Zoro's eyes growing wide as he stiffly stood up from the couch. The rest of the boy's cabin was drowned in snores of various pitches, so he made a quiet escape to topside.

A cool breeze was the first thing that met him when his feet touched the deck. It felt good against his skin and carried a sweet smell from the flowers that grew around the deserted beach. Normally things like that held no impact with him, but the brightly shining stars above did make this moment seem very peaceful. Had he been in a more relaxed state he probably would have enjoyed sleeping out on deck.

But his mind was too preoccupied to focus on the pleasant scenery for long.

His eyes quickly scanned the ship for any sign of the idiot. Soon his attention focused on an open porthole to the galley. From it he caught the scent of fresh smoke. "So that's where he is.. What the hell is he doing up there in the dark?" he asked the silence around him.

Climbing up the stairs, he headed for the galley door, but he couldn't hear any signs of life. His heart threatened to drop when the dark images filled his head, but he roughly shoved all of that aside. He wasn't going to get carried away with this annoying paranoia.

Forcing past any ridiculous anxieties, Zoro took hold of the handle and opened the door. It was pitch back in the galley. Everything was silent other than the sounds of the ocean and creaking of the shifting wood. He was forced to squint for a moment, but he soon caught sight of a figure in the corner.

Perched atop the futon that sat out for anyone Chopper had to work on, was the missing blonde. He was still as a statue facing the empty wall next to the futon. The light from a nearly spent cigarette barely allowing his silhouette to show.

Zoro could almost taste the tension in the air along with the thick smoke. He was walking into a potentially explosive situation. Despite the risk, he stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

He wasn't sure how this encounter should begin.

And he didn't have to.

"Was beginning to think you wouldn't show, Marimo."

The quietly spoken words confused the swordsman. "You.. Were waiting on me?"

A strained pause filled the air. Sanji kept his eyes focused on the wooden boards in front of him. His steady hand took hold of the cigarette's filter and inhaled deep, finishing it off. He smashed the filter into the overflowing ashtray next to him as he held his breath. His mind focused on the feel of that smoke. The taste. The way it made his heart beat steady out. The way it fought off that angry haze that threatened to take over his thoughts.

After a minute passed, he let it out the smoke slowly. Watched it curl into the air before it joined the cloud he had managed to work up. Seeing it fade away made an empty feeling tug at his chest. "... Guess it doesn't matter. Just go back to bed, Zoro."

That listless tone had Zoro's eyes narrowing. His hand immediately shot out and swatted at the switch that would turn the light overhead on. On seeing the back of the cook he was about to ask what the hell the blonde was babbling about, but he bit his tongue when he saw the case of bandages resting next to the bed on the floor.

Sanji had ruined his bandages in the sea water to save his bandana.

Zoro had offered to change them.

Zoro completely forgot about it.

"Shit..."

"Yeah, you are." Sanji readily answered as he lit up another cigarette. After another drag, Sanji waved the dense swordsman away. "Just get out of here. I'm not about to get jerked around by some idiot fucker with a hero complex."

"Hero complex? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Zoro asked in irritation.

A sarcastic snort left the cook, but he made no move to turn to the man behind him. "If I hadn't been injured back at that hotel, you wouldn't have given me a second thought." Blue eyes narrowed from under the edge of the bandana he still wore. "You never gave a damn about me. Now get the fuck out of here before I lose what's left of my composure."

The accusations and the threat had Zoro staring in alarm. Not because he was shocked the cook had said them. Because they were right. If Sanji hadn't been injured, he would have carried on without another word about it. Probably try to forget the act ever occurred.

Now feeling like a heartless prick, Zoro looked away in shame. _'Dammit... Was anything I felt real..?'_ Zoro had never felt like that before. He had no idea if any of it was real.

"Sanji.. I.."

"Save it. I'm not in the mood. Go away." Sanji cut in abruptly.

The thought of leaving just like that didn't settle right with Zoro. He looked to the box of bandages on the floor. "At least let me change your bandages."

"I don't need your help."

Growing annoyed with the curt answers, Zoro glared at the blonde's back. "Those bandages are getting changed one way or another." He turned for the door. "If you won't let me, then I'm waking up Chopper."

The sound of the metal ash tray clanging as it hit the floor was the only warning he received before a hard force plowed into the center of his back. The air knocked out of his lungs, Zoro flew forward at the force of the blow and knocked straight through the closed door. In a hale of splintered wood from the cracked doorframe, he fell over the railing in front of the galley door. Dropping the eight feet to the deck below. His left shoulder twinged painfully from landing on it, but he didn't have time to worry about it when he heard heavy shoes landing on the deck next to him.

Landing in a crouch from where he had jumped over the railing, Sanji slowly stood and placed his attention on the swordsman at his feet. "Get up."

Zoro was still trying to process what the hell had just happened. He was able to get to his knees when another kick landed in his ribs. It was hard. Ruthless. Zoro felt a rib crack.

"I said get the fuck up."

Having to spit out the blood that gathered in his mouth, Zoro's head lifted to look at his attacker. Even in the dark, he could see those cold blue eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. They were after his blood. "Sanji..."

A sneer twitched over the pale lips. "Don't you dare say my name!"

Sanji launched a kick so hard that it sent Zoro flying off the ship and towards the beach. He struck the sand in a violent collision, and was forced into a roll before he finally came to a stop. It knocked him into a daze, but he was able to shake out of it fast enough to dodge the impact that made the ground next to him explode into a crater.

Jumping back as far as he could, Zoro skidded to a stop in the sand. He clutched at the intense pain centered at his stomach. The cook had never kicked him that hard before. _'Shit.. He's.. He's really trying to kill me..' _

"Stand up and face me, you fucking bastard!"

His gaze shot up to see Sanji approaching him. The dark aura that whipped violently around the blonde made Zoro's heart clench tightly. "Stop this! I don't want to fight you, dammit!"

A vicious growl was torn from Sanji's throat as he reached up and ripped away the bandana from his head. "I don't give a shit what you want! Either fight me, or die!" he snapped before throwing the bandana to the sand.

Seeing his bandana cast away made Zoro feel numb. It felt like he was being cast away. Thrown out of the cook's existence. It was like he truly mattered nothing to Sanji anymore.

With that thought weighing heavily in his mind, Zoro stood straight and allowed his hand to fall away from his stomach to hang at his side. His eyes lingered on the enraged face before him a moment longer before they slid shut. "I'm not going to fight you."

Sanji's breath hitched when the swordsman stood there. Willingly allowing himself to be wide open to any attack. Seeing him just surrender made his teeth grind and his fists clench painfully tight. "You.. You bastard..."

His vision was blurring in and out. His chest was beginning to hurt with how hard his heart was pounding. His head was spinning, and his back felt like it would tear apart any second. But none of the pain he knew his body was feeling was able to break him from the pain the overbearing rage was crushing him with.

'_Make it stop.. Make it stop!'_

The figure ahead of him was the cause. He had to get rid of it. He wanted to breathe again.

Barely aware of what had just crossed his mind, Sanji shot forward for the form awaiting him.

His feet left the ground as he leapt to the air.

His right leg reared back. Ready to attack with everything he had

Just as he was about to lash out at the source of his pain, his head snapped back when something jerked him to a stop.

"Sanji! Stop it! Now!"

The familiar feel of rubbery arms wrapping around him had Sanji instantly thrashing about as hard as he could. "Dammit, Luffy! Let me go!"

The captain gritted his teeth and held the resisting form tighter. "No, Sanji! This isn't right! What's going on?_!_" he demanded, pulling the cook's body against his chest. He had to dig his feet into the ground in order to resist the wild strength that was trying to throw him.

Zoro's eyes snapped open when he heard his captain's voice. "Luffy..?" They grew wider when he saw how viciously the blonde was fighting against the arms wrapped around him. The shadowed blue eyes were trying to rip him apart with just a mere look. "S.. Sanji..."

Hearing his name again only seemed to fuel the fire. "You bastard! I'm gonna kill you! I-" Sanji's voice suddenly gave out.

His eyes widened, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't see anything around him. His heart pounded in his ears, making him deaf to people shouting out his name. His body refused to obey him as he fell limp in the firm hold around him. His mind was screaming, but not a single sound made it past his lips.

Then...

Then there was nothing.

"SANJI!"

_fjfjfjfjfjfjfj_

TBC

Some storms rip themselves apart.

Later~


	8. Foolish wishing

_(Author's Note: _haha, since I've gotten so many nice reviews, (and a few threats ^.^;) I've decided to post this chapter early. )

A storm's aftermath is never pretty.

Enjoy~

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Chapter 8

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For a moment, Zoro couldn't breathe.

The moment Sanji fell limp in Luffy's arms, things seemed to just shatter around him.

He wasn't aware of his knees giving out until they struck the sand beneath him.

"SANJI! Wake up! What's wrong?_!_" Luffy shook the unconscious man in his arms, but the blonde head lolled back and forth bonelessly.

He quickly retracted his arms back to normal and carefully took hold of his cook. "Sanji! Wake u-" Luffy's shouting came to an abrupt stop when he felt something sticky on Sanji's back. Lifting up his hand, his eyes widened when he recognized the substance that coated it even in the dark. "B.. Blood?"

He glanced down to his chest and froze when he saw that the dark stain that covered the front of his shirt where the black clad back had been pressed.

Focusing on the sweater that Sanji wore, Luffy didn't hesitate to take hold of the hem and jerk it up.

What he saw there...

"Chopper! Chopper!_!_ Get out here quick! Sanji's hurt!_!_"

Immediately leaping out from where he and the others were hiding out on deck during the fight, Chopper rushed across the sand to his captain. He was about to ask what was wrong when he saw the bandages that were falling off the blood smeared back. "Sanji..." He only hesitated for a moment longer before he shot his attention back to the ship. "Nami! Usopp! Get the stretcher! Robin! Get some clean water and bandages ready! Hurry!"

When he heard the three on ship scrambling to get everything ready, the little doctor returned his attention to the broken form in front of him. "Sanji... Dammit.. I smell so much blood.." he whimpered for a moment before doing his best to check the blonde's vitals in the dark.

His tiny hooves took hold of the lifeless wrist only to come close to panicking at what he felt. "No.. His heart is beating too fast! It's making him loose more blood! I have to stop the bleeding now!"

"Chopper! We've got the stretcher!" Nami cried out as she and Usopp ran as fast as they could across the sand.

"Luffy! Put Sanji on his side on the stretcher!"

Following the orders of their doctor, Luffy did the best he could to gently pick up his fallen nakama and place him on the stretcher. The moment Sanji was in place, Usopp and Nami hurried back to the ship with Chopper right at their heels.

Somewhat relieved now that the cook was being taken care of, Luffy turned to his swordsman.

On his knees in the sand, Zoro watched silently as the others took away the injured blonde. His mind was a total blank as his consciousness seemed to be floating above him. Witnessing everything like it was happening to some other poor bastard. He..

Just couldn't feel a thing.

"Zoro."

The firm tone seemed to snap Zoro back into reality. He looked to his captain, and nearly cringed when he saw the blood that was on him. "Luffy..."

His eyes narrowing at the lost tone, Luffy looked back to the ship. "I won't ask what caused this... But I expect you to fix it. I don't want my nakama broken over anything. Understood?"

That voice..

Luffy was pissed.

Setting his jaw, Zoro forced himself to face his captain as he got back to his feet. "Understood."

"Good. After Chopper's finished with Sanji, have yourself looked after as well. I know he got a few blows in on you." Luffy looked back to Zoro and frowned deeply. "You do know that, if I hadn't stopped him, he would have killed you."

Zoro fought the urge to bow his head and looked his captain in the eye. "Yes."

Still not satisfied, Luffy let out a frustrated sigh and rubbed at the back of his neck. "I need my first mate and my cook. You two are the reason I'm able to be so carefree. I know everything will be okay as long as you two have my back. You guys step in when I can't handle something. Do your best to protect everyone when I can't." He looked to Zoro with an honest expression. "I can't be a captain when the heart and soul of my nakama are trying to hurt one another."

"Heart and soul?" Zoro repeated slowly.

Luffy nodded and folded his arms over his chest. "That's what I've always thought about you two. You've always been the strong heart, Zoro. The one that pushes us forward without pause. You keep calm in the face of everything so you can do what you know is best for everyone." The captain then turned his attention to where his cook had been taken. "Sanji's the passionate soul that keeps us believing. He's the one that does everything he can to keep our spirits up. He sacrifices so much to make sure we stay together..."

A little smirk twitched onto Luffy's lips as he gave a light chuckle. "Heh... It's never bothered me before that the two of you were always at odds. The heart and soul of anything always fight with each other. It's just the way things are."

The eloquent statement left Zoro at a loss. He felt a darker shame threaten to pull around him when he remembered the anger that he had caused. The pain he had caused.

'_You never gave a damn about me._'

That was pain. A pain that seemed to make Sanji ignore everything else around him as he lashed out at the cause.

'_I'm responsible... Because I'm such an idiot... Because I never gave him a reason to believe me...'_

The sudden feel of a hand on his shoulder broke Zoro out of his guilt trip. He found Luffy standing in front of him with a concerned look in his eyes. "Luffy..."

Not liking how this was affecting his Swordsman, Luffy gripped the broad shoulder a bit tighter. "Hey.. You can make things right. Sanji will listen to you if you treat him like your equal." He held out the bandana he had picked up from the sand. "You should always treat him like your equal. That's how he's always treated you."

That was it.

Zoro's eyes widened when everything seemed to hit him harder than one of Sanji's kicks.

He knew what he had done wrong.

His hands took hold of the bandana and gripped at it tight. "I understand. I'll fix this." he swore to his captain.

The serious gleam in the taller man's eyes had Luffy smiling. "Yosh. Come on. Let's hear what Chopper has to say."

Allowing the younger man to nudge him back towards the ship, Zoro walked with a more purposeful stride. His fingers clutched at the bandana as all of the injuries he was more than likely afflicted with melted from his mind. None of his own troubles mattered.

Nothing mattered except healing the soul he had broken.

By the time they reached the ship, they found the girls and Usopp all lingering around the half broken door to the galley. They each clearly showed their concern for their injured nakama, but none of them dared to go past the door. Chopper had been in a frenzy to get everything situated before kicking the lot of them out so he could work.

Now the tension was high as they waited.

However Luffy wasn't much on waiting. Moving past everyone with Zoro in tow, he pushed the barely hanging door open and stepped inside. On looking to the futon, he immediately frowned when he caught sight of the horrible wound that stretched the length of his cook's back.

"How is he?" he asked, moving to sit on the table to keep out of the way.

Chopper wasn't surprised that Luffy forced his way in, and continued cleaning the ghastly scrape. "He's lost a lot of blood. So much that it's a miracle he's been able to carry on like that." He faintly gestured to the red stained bandages that were piled on the floor. "Those were in need of changing a long time ago. There are grains of sand and salt in this, so it must have been burning the entire time... How the hell did he manage to hide this from me? The smell of the blood alone should have tipped me off!" Chopper scolded at himself as he worked diligently to wash the injured back.

Zoro frowned and took a deep breath. "I don't know how he hid it, but I've known about this injury. He didn't want anyone else to know about it, so I tended to it at first."

The confession had both doctor and captain glaring in disapproval, but they didn't attempt to reprimand the swordsman. One look at the shadowed look in his eyes told them that he was doing a fine job of that himself.

"When did this happen, Zoro?" Chopper asked as calmly as he could. He couldn't afford to let anything distract him as he tended to his nakama.

"When we were at that hotel. He got hit by the debris that crashed through the window." He wasn't going to mention the part of the blonde saving him. That was something that mattered little at this point.

Luffy's frown grew deeper. "He kept it from us that long... Did he tell you why, Zoro?"

"No."

That was one lie Zoro had no qualms of telling. Sanji told him his reasons in confidence. To say it to another would only be hurting him further. _'I don't want him hurting any more because of me.'_

"There.. I've cleaned the wound..." Chopper quickly washed his hooves in the bowl of water set up beside him and turned towards the captain. "Luffy, hold Sanji up while I dress his wound."

Hopping off the table, Luffy went to the bed and carefully helped Chopper lift the cook up. He had the unconscious body lean against his chest with the pale chin resting on his shoulder. "How's this?" he questioned while holding on as best he could without touching the injury.

"That's fine. I'm hoping he won't need a blood transfusion.. I don't have the right equipment here to do that..." Chopper fretted out loud as he began applying the gauze pads.

"If need be, we'll take him to a doctor on the island and get more help." Luffy readily replied.

The little doctor offered a weak smile, but said nothing as he continued to work.

As the wound he knew too well was steadily covered up, Zoro forced himself to watch. He may have not put the wound there, but he was the cause. He was also the cause of the rapid decline the cook had suffered. The cause of that pain. Everything he had done to attempt to help had only made things worse. Him being his thick headed clueless self.

'_I can't believe I did this to him...'_ A pang in his ribs was trying to inform him of his own injuries, but he ignored it. He kept his eyes locked on that curtain of hair that obscured the pale face. They took in the barely parted lips that faintly gasped for breath, and it was then he noticed the blue tint that was starting to steal over them.

Sanji truly was on the verge of losing his life. The only thing Zoro could be thankful for was his resistance to the cook's attempts at starting a fight. _'If I had taken him on... It really would have killed him..' _

Morbid thoughts began filling his head to the point where he was nearly sick with himself. His instincts were telling him to look away, but he forced himself to watch what was being done. Forced himself to witness this pain. _'I hurt my nakama... My nakama is in pain due to my actions. I will take responsibility. I will fix this...'_

Nakama were supposed to take care of each other.

'_Hm... Is that what we're supposed to do.'_

Hearing those words in his head made Zoro's fists clench.

'_What exactly is it to you?'_

Sanji never expected Zoro to take care of him.

'_Didn't think you would care.'_

But Sanji always took care of Zoro.

'_You.. You okay, Zoro..?'_

Dark eyes narrowed when the full extent of his shame finally struck him. _'I'm the one that hasn't stayed true to my nakama.'_

He could only hope that, at the end of it all, Sanji would still allow himself to be called his nakama.

Anything beyond that was foolish wishing.

_fjfjfjfjfjfjfj_

TBC

Hindsight is a bitch.

You only get it after you fuck up.

Later~


	9. Better

_Author's note:_ Two chapters in one week? I better be careful, or I'll get you guys spoiled. Haha.

Now where's that silver lining?

Enjoy~

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Chapter 9

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'_What the hell...'_

Burning.

'_Fuck...'_

Stabbing.

'_Double fuck...'_

Pain.

'_Shit.. Did I die or something..?'_

Swimming on the razor's edge of an inky black void and a cruel awakening, Sanji struggled to lose himself back in the darkness. That blissful numb that had cradled him peacefully was slipping away. Now the ruthless claws of pain were ripping him apart in a savage attempt to welcome him back to reality.

When he felt that burn double during his weak attempt to move away, his teeth gritted tightly as his eyes snapped open.

'_Not dead.. Wishing I was now.. Fucking hell..'_

It took everything he had not to cry out. He had no idea what had happened, or where he was. He had to make certain he was safe before he could allow himself the luxury of bitching.

A soft bed was under him, which was the first mystery. He recognized the faint scent of perfume on the sheets, which was the second. _'Did I pick up someone?'_

If he did, the lady apparently ran him over a few times.

His eyes steadily began to focus, so he soon looked around at his surroundings. He noticed bookshelves and a small bar area. They looked familiar, but his mind was still in a pain glazed haze. When he looked down he blinked when he saw a figure sitting stiffly in a chair at the foot of the bed. A green headed figure with intense dark eyes that instantly locked with his own.

On seeing those blue eyes after what felt like forever, Zoro was suddenly at a loss of what to actually say. "You awake?" He winced mentally at the stupid question. This was going to be harder than he thought.

The blue eyes stared silently for a moment as if the owner was trying to think of how to respond. His too pale lips slowly parted and there was a moment of hesitation before he spoke. "Wh.. Who are you?"

Zoro's eyes widened as his heart seemed to fall straight into his stomach. For a moment he felt as if everything around him was about to fall apart. _'No.. No... This isn't.. He can't..'_

"You don't remember?" Zoro finally asked as he desperately attempted to keep his composure.

The blonde stared at him quietly for a long moment before a wide smirk tugged over the cook's face. "Nah. I'm just shittin ya, Marimo."

His jaw literally dropping, Zoro immediately shot to his feet and clenched his hands into tight fists. "You bastard cook! To think I was actually worried!"

"Worried? You were about to shit yourself! Hahaha!" In mid laugh, his back twinged painfully, making him hiss through his teeth. "Fuck fuck fuck... That hurt..."

On seeing the grimace of pain, Zoro quickly went to the bar in the room and took up the glass of water and small paper packet that was awaiting him. He returned to the bed and carefully sat on the edge. There he held the two items in his right hand while holding his left out to the blonde. "Come on. Chopper left you some medicine to take for the pain."

Sanji looked at the offered hand for a moment before he finally took hold of it. It took a bit of effort, but he was soon pulled into a sitting position. However the strain it was putting on his injuries was making him tremble hard. It took everything he had to simply stay upright.

Seeing the pain the simple action was causing, Zoro frowned. "You.. Can lean against me if that will make it easier."

The offer made Sanji pause. He glanced briefly at the swordsman watching him, then lowered his gaze. Without a word he moved close enough to allow himself to lean against the solid frame. He took the medicine packet and the water and downed the contents of both with a faint shudder. "Yuck.. I need to help Chopper make this shit taste better..." he muttered while handing back the glass.

Zoro found himself smiling at the comment as he placed the glass aside. After that he merely allowed the cook to lean against him without making any other attempts at contact. He was amazed that Sanji was allowing him this much. "I know it's a stupid question... But how are you doing?"

"Heh.. That is a stupid question.." Sanji muttered. He tried to focus on something else other than his back, but it was proving too strenuous to continue. "How long have I been out?"

"About a day..." Zoro truly didn't want to bring up anything of the past two days, but he had to ask. "Do you remember what happened?"

A silence settled over them for a few seconds before Sanji lowered his gaze to the sheets that were still tangled around his legs. "Yeah..." His expression fell into a somber frown when he recalled anger that had taken him over. " Zoro... I want to apologize." he finally whispered.

Zoro frowned at the quiet words, but he was more concerned with the way the blond head was bowed. "... Apologize?"

Sanji gave a slight nod. "For what I did. I lost my composure. I shouldn't have gone off like I did.. Especially attacking you from behind... And when you were down.. That was disgraceful of me, and for that I'm sorry."

"Hey... You were exhausted, hurting, and angry. Anyone would have snapped after going through that." Zoro attempted to carefully wrap his arm around the bandaged shoulders, but he stopped when the thin body tensed at the action. At first he thought perhaps he had brushed against part of the extensive wound, but his eyes caught on the frown that was tugging down the pale lips. "You're still angry with me."

Those lips tightened into a thin line, but Sanji eventually gave another nod. "I am... But I'm calmer now, so you shouldn't concern yourself."

Not liking how that sounded too close to a dismissal, Zoro wrapped his arm around the thin shoulders despite the tension. He knew he was pressing his luck, but he had to start fixing this. So after a brief moment to steel himself, he moved to whisper into a pale ear. "Just listen... I know where I went wrong, and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have attempted getting closer to you by using feelings that were based on the wrong things. I shouldn't have started treating you differently, and I shouldn't have continued threatening to tell the others about what happened." He held on a bit tighter and allowed his eyes to close as he came to the heart of the problem. "And.. I'm sorry that I haven't been a true nakama to you. No matter what stupid things I've done, or will do.. Just know that I do care about you."

He was being honest. That much Sanji could tell. However heartfelt words couldn't hack away the bitter feelings that were still lingering around him. "I'm afraid a simple apology won't fix this, Marimo. It won't fix it for either side. The rift between us has just gotten too wide. We've hurt one another and been at odds for too long. Trying to act otherwise is just going to be cruel to both of us."

It hurt, but Zoro knew the blonde was right. His expression fell, but he hid it against the soft hair so close to his face. "I understand... But... Luffy doesn't want us to hate one another. We're still nakama, so we have to trust one another..." He held on a bit tighter as he braced himself. "At least tell me you still trust me."

Another silence fell over them. When it seemed to linger, Zoro felt a chill trying to grip over his heart. Had he lost everything?

Sanji kept his eyes locked on the sheet as he attempted to figure that out for himself. His mind wandered to the feel of that warm arm gently around his shoulders and the breaths that stirred his hair. "Would.. I let you this close if I didn't trust you?" A bitter sweet smile curled his lips as he allowed himself to lean further into the embrace. "You're an idiot.. But you're still a good man, Zoro. I know your shit brained self didn't do this on purpose."

Zoro had to restrain the relieved sigh that wanted to escape, so settled for hiding his smirk against the golden hair. "I'm glad to hear you say that. Will you let me try to fix this?"

"... If it's that important to you." Sanji pulled away in order to look into the swordsman's eyes. After a moment a smirk suddenly formed on his face. "But you're gonna have to jump some serious hoops to get off my shit list."

"Hm.. I like a challenge anyway." Zoro mused as he carefully brushed away the blonde bangs from the pale face. He then looked into the blue eyes watching him and gently cupped the cook's cheek. "I do care." he whispered once more.

His smirk softening into a barely there smile, Sanji leaned into the touch. "I know." His eyes suddenly felt heavy as that numbness tried to take hold of him again. "Heh.. Chopper gave me the good shit.. Gonna be out in a minute.."

On hearing that, Zoro pulled his companion to his chest and carefully held him there. "Go ahead. I'll look after you."

The action was unexpected, but Sanji still rested his head on the broad shoulder. Once he felt the warm embrace wrap around him, he allowed his eyes to finally slid shut. "Hm.. Stupid Marimo.. Told you about that falling for your rival shit."

Zoro hummed thoughtfully and lightly nuzzled the blonde hair. "I suppose I'm just a glutton for punishment. Rest now."

Barely a second passed before he felt the thin body go limp against him. The moment he was out, Zoro finally let out the deep breath he had been holding. Everything had gone a million times better than he had expected, but he still felt like he had failed. Even though he had the blonde in his arms, he still felt like Sanji was out of his reach.

'_I shouldn't expect anything. It's a wonder he's allowing this.'_ Zoro reminded himself.

He had to make due with what he had. He had to prove that this time the feelings were legit.

At that moment he heard footsteps heading towards the stairs of the girls' cabin they were in. Zoro wasn't certain if Sanji wanted anyone to know about the depth of this situation, but he honestly didn't care who knew. As they drew closer to the open doorway at the top if the stairs, Zoro merely held the blonde to him tighter and buried his face against the soft hair. He wasn't going to let go for anyone.

"... Zoro..?"

On hearing the voice, Zoro glanced up to see his captain descending the stairs with a confused look on his face. "Luffy." he acknowledged. He wasn't even going to try coming up with an explanation.

Luffy stopped at the base of the stairs and tried to understand what he was seeing. His swordsman was holding his injured cook in a tender embrace as the blonde slept peacefully. Zoro's posture was clearly protective, and from the faint smile that curved Sanji's lips, the closeness was consensual.

After a moment, Luffy was smiling brightly. "I get the feeling that things are better." he stated instead asking while crossing the space between them.

A slight smirk twitched at Zoro's lips as he focused on the form in his arms. "A little. I'm no where close to fixing this, but we're still nakama."

Stopping in front of the two on the bed, Luffy hummed quietly and took a look at the gentle expression that was on the pale face. "Hm... It looks like he wants to forgive you. You just have to meet on equal ground. Things will fix themselves eventually." He placed his hand on Zoro's shoulder and grinned at the dark eyes that met him. "You better take care of my cook, Zoro. I'm gonna die if I keep having to eat Nami's cooking."

A snort of amusement left the swordsman as he nodded. "I will."

"Yosh. Everything's gonna be fine." Patting the broad shoulder, Luffy turned away and headed back for the stairs.

As Zoro watched the captain leave, he couldn't help but feel as if things would be better. That groundless confidence always had a habit of making things seem a bit brighter. "If Luffy's confident, I should be as well." He mused to himself as he gently petted back the golden hair.

When he did Sanji lightly shifted in his grasp and gave a soft mumble. "Mm... One hoop down..."

Hearing the words made Zoro pause. It seemed as if Sanji was still asleep, but he had a feeling that the cook was still aware of what was going on around him. Maybe he already proved something?

'_That's it.. I didn't attempt to hide this from Luffy... I didn't make any excuses for being this close...'_

Understanding that he had just taken the first step in proving this was real, Zoro felt his confidence raise another notch.

Things were going to be better.

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TBC

Ah, there it is.

Later~


	10. This Nakama thing

The strong willed always rebuild after every storm.

Enjoy~

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Chapter 10

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"Sanji-kun! What are you doing out of bed?_!_"

Wincing now that he had been caught, Sanji slowly looked over his shoulder and smiled sheepishly at the woman in the galley doorway. "Ah.. Nami-san.. I was just fixing a little snack."

Nami's eyes narrowed slightly as she looked over the platter that was filled with an assortment of tarts. "Snacks for the entire crew? Sanji-kun, you're hurt. You need to rest or you'll never get better." she chided as she entered the galley.

Sanji frowned slightly and slowly lowered the strawberry and whipped cream mixture he was working on down to the counter. "I know, Nami-san, but it's been two days... I just wanted to get back to work."

The quietly spoken words had Nami sighing deeply, but she was soon heading over to the kitchen table and perched herself on a bench. There she folded her arms over her chest and glared at the bandages that covered the back. "You almost died, you know."

"I know." Sanji replied quietly, absently playing with the spoon in the mixing bowl.

When the blonde said nothing else, Nami was left groaning in frustration and pinching the bridge of her nose. "Dammit. Why are men so stubborn.."

A soft chuckle was pulled from Sanji's lips as he took up the mixing bowl again. The motions he made while he cooked always calmed him. This was his therapy. He needed it now more than ever. "I don't know, Nami-san. I apologize for being a burden."

"Burden..?" Nami's eyes narrowed as she stood from her seat. She crossed the short space between them and had the wounded man face her. Then moment she saw the visible blue eye she gave him a stern look. "Sanji-kun, you're nakama. Why do you think this would be a burden on us?"

Asked so point blank threw Sanji off for a moment. He glanced away uneasily and gripped tighter to the bowl in his hands. "I... don't want to be a weak link for everyone..."

Her eyes widening at the confession, Nami was speechless for a moment. "Weak link..? Sanji-kun, you're one of the strongest. You're one of strongest men I've ever known in my life. How can you possibly think of yourself as a weak link?"

A slight smile twitched onto pale lips as the cook continued to stir slowly. "Nami-san is kind to say such things. I wish I could explain, but I don't want to sound as if I'm complaining." He was about to focus on his task once more when a gentle hand took hold of his chin and turned his head. His visible eye widened in confusion at the exasperated smile that was on the woman's face. "Nami-san?"

Nami's smile turned strained as she gave a light slap to the man's too pale cheek. "Nakama, you idiot. If you can't complain to me, who can you complain to?"

Sanji's jaw dropped slightly and the reprimand, but he knew he couldn't get out of this. He had been holding back too long. It was clear that none of the crew were going to allow that anymore.

Much to his dismay.

With a restless breath, Sanji placed the bowl back to the counter and gestured to the table. "Please sit, Nami-san..." He waited until the woman was seated on a bench before he moved around the table to sit on the other side to face her. He leaned heavily on his elbows and tried to ignore the painful twinge in his back.

When he seemed to hesitate in beginning, Nami opened her mouth to speak, but immediately closed it. Sanji was doing this on his own. He had to start when he was ready. So she folded her hands on the table and waited.

Feeling even more on the spot when the normally vocal navigator went silent, Sanji roughly raked a hand through his hair. "It's just going to sound stupid.. You don't need to listen to this.." He trailed off when he felt a warm hand resting over his. He looked up to see a gentle smile on her face. "N.. Nami-san..."

Squeezing the hand a bit tighter, Nami's smile didn't waver. "Tell me."

A sad frown fell over Sanji's face as he lightly gripped at the hand holding his. "I've... Been in this crew for a good while now, but part of me.. Hasn't quite wrapped my mind around that."

Nami's head tilted curiously. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I had fully intended on spending the rest of my life on the Barati. That I was going to live there, take over for the old man when he finally felt like giving it up. Grow old and fat just like him and slip away as just the head chef at a good restaurant. I never thought of anything beyond that." A weak laugh left him as he bowed his head. "Not a glamorous life, but I convinced myself that I would be happy."

A concerned frown formed on Nami's face. "Are you not happy here?"

A smile twitched onto Sanji's pale lips as he held her hand a bit tighter. "I am happy.. No matter what sort of shit blows up in my face.. I've never been happier... But..."

"But?"

His expression immediately falling, Sanji let out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes. "But after a while.. I got this weird feeling... Like I was falling behind."

"What? Falling behind?" Nami repeated in confusion.

The blonde head reluctantly nodded. "Luffy and Zoro... Their strength seemed insane when I first met them. I wasn't able to fathom it. I wanted to keep up.. But every move they make, I have to work twice as hard to match it... I'm not like them. Not having powers or weapons, I take on the brunt of whatever faces me. My own body is all I have... And I work constantly just to make myself worthy of staying here..."

The navigator's eyes widened when she was finally starting to understand. "Sanji-kun... You're so important to this crew. You should never think of trying to be worthy. You've single handedly saved us more times than I can ever count." she insisted quietly.

"Hm.. It makes me glad to hear you say that, Nami-san, but I have limits. As much as I hate to admit it, I know I'm not invincible. Eventually my limits will catch up to me, and I'll be useless..." Sanji trailed off as his eyes flickered back to the mixing bowl he had abandoned on the counter.

He suddenly released the woman's hands and stood up from the table. He didn't look at her questioning gaze as he returned to the counter to take up the bowl once more. "I just want to do what I can while I can... Protect my nakama any way I can..."

Nami felt the corners of her eyes sting the longer she listened, but she forced herself to focus. She stood as well and silently watched as the cook continued his work. The longer she watched, the more she hated the way the bandages seemed to be the same color as Sanji's skin. He was still too weak to even be standing, but he was doing his job despite what it could do to him.

She wasn't sure if she should be pissed at such stupidity.

Or awed at such selfless dedication.

Taking a deep breath, Nami clenched her fists as she came to the question that was nagging at her mind. "Can you tell me why you're so angry with Zoro, then?"

The question had Sanji grow still for a long moment. His blonde head bowed low as his hands gripped tighter to the bowl. "Nami-san.. Do you know what it's like to work so hard to stand on equal ground with someone... Only to watch them look at you with pity in their eyes?"

"Sanji-kun..." Before Nami could even think of a response, her eyes widened when she saw something wet trail down his left check from under that fall of blonde hair. "Sanji-kun!"

Swiping his hand over his face quickly to wipe away whatever was there, Sanji immediately returned to mixing. "I'll be finished with these tarts in a few minutes. Would you like anything to drink with them, Nami-san?"

For a moment Nami wasn't sure she could answer. She felt her eyes watering, but she forced a smile to her face. "Some black tea would be great. Thank you, Sanji-kun." she answered, asking for the cook's favorite drink just to see the little smile it pulled to his far too pale lips.

"Yes, Nami-san. Would you like me to bring it to you when it's done?"

"No, that's okay. I'll come back in a few minutes." Knowing she had to let the cook be alone for a bit, Nami quietly left the galley. Once she closed the still cracked door behind her, she bowed her head low and took a shuddering breath. "Did you hear all of that...?"

A somber frown was pulled over Luffy's face from his place leaning against the wall next to the door. "Yeah..."

Feeling the tears ready to escape her, Nami gritted her teeth tightly and shot her attention to the source of this horrid situation doing pushups on the deck. "That bastard..." she growled before heading for the stairs.

Luffy lifted his head to watch his navigator storm off towards his swordsman, but he made no move to stop her. He kept his place next to the galley and listened closely to the sounds that were muffled from behind the door. He knew that Sanji was pushing his limits, but he trusted his cook. So there he stayed and listened to make sure the blonde didn't do too much.

And to wait for snacks. It had been three days since he had any of Sanji's cooking. He was seriously missing it. _'Nami's cooking is going to kill me.. Blah..' _he thought with a slight shudder.

On deck, Zoro wasn't even bothering to count along with his pushups. He had been at them for hours, but, at this point, he was trying to keep his head clear. There was so much he had to do. He was just grateful he had the opportunity to do it. _'If it had been me.. I wouldn't have been as merciful..'_

He was about to ponder over his next move when a shadow fell over him.

Lifting his head, he saw the shadowed figure of Nami towering over him. There was a strange feeling that seemed to swirl around her, and it had Zoro stopping and getting to his knees. On focusing, he was surprised by the tear filled scowl that was focused on him. "What is it?"

Unable to hold back, Nami reared back her right hand and gave a harsh slap to Zoro's face. "You heartless bastard! Do you have any idea how much you've hurt him?_!_" she hissed out so her voice wouldn't carry to the galley.

Startled by the abuse and the anger that was in her trembling stance, Zoro stared at the woman for a moment. "You talked to him?"

"Yes..." Nami's eyes narrowed at the calm way he was looking at her. "You should be ashamed... Of all the stupid things you could possibly do, why this? Why do this to Sanji-kun?" When Zoro merely frowned at her, Nami reached out to grab the front of his white shirt.

However her wrist was caught in a firm grip.

Looking at the angry woman for a moment longer, Zoro's eyes narrowed as well before he spoke. "I am ashamed, Nami. You couldn't begin to understand how badly I feel. I know what I've done. I know how much I've hurt him. I've already talked to him, and he's going to allow me to make up for my stupidity. You don't need to worry." he stated as calmly as he could. Every time he thought over everything it almost made him want to cut himself apart with his own swords.

Still, he endured the suffering he brought upon himself.

She could see that this had hit Zoro hard as well, but she wasn't about to let the matter drop so easily. Her arms folded over her chest as she looked at the green haired man expectantly. "What are you going to do, then?"

"I don't know yet. That's what I'm trying to figure out." Zoro got to his feet and lightly dusted off his hands on his pants. He had been wracking his brain for a good way to start, but so far nothing seemed right. Or possible. "I know if I could find his knives, that would make him happy, but Robin and Chopper have a better chance than I do at that."

When it seemed like Zoro was really trying, Nami's stance eased up a bit. "Well... Is there anything else that would make him happy right now?"

"Other than the knives, I can't really think of..." Zoro suddenly trailed off as he looked at Nami seriously. "Do you know if any of the villages have a tailor?"

"A tailor..? Well.. I think I remember a shop in the same village as that rich lady with the missing cat."

"Can you take me there?"

Nami blinked at the sudden request. "Wait, what do you need from the tailor?"

"I want something made."

It was an annoying vague answer, but after a moment a smile twitched onto Nami's lips. "I'll take you, but first we need a few things. Come on." She quickly grabbed hold of his wrist and began dragging him across the deck.

"Huh? What do we need?" Zoro asked in confusion as he was dragged until they hit the stairs that led below deck.

"Just trust me!" was Nami's only answer.

Leaning over the railing in front of the galley door, Luffy smiled as he watched the two disappear.

Things were on their way to getting better.

'_Now all I need is to get at those snacks, and everything will be perfect.'_

"Oi, Luffy! I know you're out there. Get in here. I've got yours ready."

A wide grin was instantly on the captain's face and he threw up his hands in victory. "Yosh! Coming, Sanji!"

He had to remind himself of being easy on the broken door, but he was soon bouncing his way to the kitchen table. "Ooo! That looks great, Sanji! What flavors are they?" he asked eagerly as he took a seat.

Finding himself smiling at his captain's usual behavior, Sanji brought over a plate of tarts that had different colors of filling. "Strawberry, blueberry, cherry, and blackberry. Would you like some tea?"

Luffy readily nodded as he took up a blackberry tart. "Yes, please!" A moment later he took a bite only to whimper as he nearly fell over, tears actually welling up in his eyes. "Saaanjiiii.. You have no idea how happy I am right now.. Everyone else sucks so much ass at cooking..."

The wailing complaint actually pulled a genuine laugh from the blonde as he prepared a cup of tea. "I apologize for being away from my post, Captain. I hope your digestive system hasn't suffered overtly so in my absence." he countered on a teasing note.

Hearing the humor in his cook's voice had Luffy smiling. "I'll let it slide this time, but you better not be absent anymore. I've already decided you're the only cook I want. If you don't want me starving or dying from crappy food, you better not make a habit out of it."

Sanji didn't pause in his motions as he brought the lightly steaming cup to the table, but there was a soft smile curling his pale lips. "Captain's orders?"

The young captain grinned wide and nodded. "Captain's orders. You're not allowed to be absent anymore."

After placing the cup down on the table, Sanji gave a half-assed salute with a grin of his own. "Aye-aye, Captain. Is there anything else your cook can do for you to make amends for the injustice dealt to your stomach?"

Easily catching the sarcasm in that smoky voice, Luffy snickered and pointed to the bench at the other side of the table. "Yes. Sit. It's been forever since we've just talked."

Not expecting that, Sanji easily followed the instructions and sat across from his captain. "Talk about what?"

"Did that old chef guy ever tell you any stories about the grandline?"

"A few."

Luffy placed his elbow on the table and propped his chin on his fist as he focused solely on the blonde. "I wanna hear them."

That genuine interest placing him at ease, Sanji smiled and folded his arms on the table. "Well, there's one he told me about this island of barbarians where the main currency was meat. I have no idea if it was true, but I personally think he was pulling an epic lie out of his ass."

"Ooo! Meat money?_!_ Tell me!" Luffy demanded eagerly.

"Haha. Okay. Okay. It started when his crew was low on supplies and they had to make a detour to a closer island."

As Sanji began his story, things seemed to settle into place.

He was still in pain, and his emotional wounds still ran deep.

But having his captain here listening to him...

Knowing that the others did care...

It made him think.

'_It's not so bad... This nakama thing...'_

Not bad at all.

_fjfjfjfjfjfjfjfj_

TBC

Those that can smile as they pull the pieces back together...

They are the strongest among us.

Later~


	11. Whatever price

The first step is always the most important.

Enjoy~

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Chapter 11

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"So can you do it?"

Placing a familiar ruined black jacket on a cloth tailoring form, an old man looked over the black material carefully. His finger lightly tapped on his chin as his dark brown eyes carefully examined the stitch work that was already looking on its last legs.

Zoro and Nami watched anxiously as the old tailor circled the jacket slowly. It had taken them longer than they had expected to find the tailor, mostly due to a certain swordsman taking two wrong turns, but they finally found the shop nestled in a string of storefronts on a quiet street. The area was nice, and from asking around, they found out that this man was the best there was on the island.

It sounded promising.

And expensive, much to Nami's hesitation.

The old man seemed nice enough, and from the clothes that were hanging on various racks around the shop, they could tell he was skilled. He had an easy way around him and seemed to take his time in whatever he did.

The way he kept walking slowly around the jacket felt like a ceaseless torture, but the way the graying head kept nodding seemed like an encouraging sign.

Finally the old tailor came to a stop and pulled out a notepad from his green apron pockets before he started to jot down a few notes. "I don't have the exact materials, but I have a fabric that is similar. Your friend will notice the difference, but it's a hardier fabric than this. It'll hold up to more abuse. You said he moves around a lot, right?"

"That's right. It'll have to allow a good range of motion. He's the type that likes to dress nice even if he's in the middle of a bar fight." Nami readily answered with a smile.

The tailor gave a light chuckle as wrote a few more lines. "You don't see that every day. Sounds like my kind gentleman. Yes, the fabric I have in mind will be good for that. I'll have to dye it a darker shade, but I can match that black easily enough." He glanced up at the mismatched pair that was standing in the middle of his shop and gave a light tap on the ruined jacket with his pencil. "Is there anything you want to save from this? I'm going to have to take apart some of it to see how the cloth panels fit together."

"Just the gold buttons." Zoro answered, much to Nami's surprise. "Use the same buttons on the new one."

"Ah, yes. Those buttons are special. Not to worry. I will make certain to include those." The tailor wrote down another note before continuing. "Now, I know this is a sort of surprise, but, in order to get an exact fit, I'll need him in here after I'm finished to do some final adjustments. I'll be able to get a closer fit if I have another article of his clothing to base my measurements on."

"I have that covered!" Nami called out as she reached into the bag she was carrying. From it she pulled out Sanji's favorite blue pinstripe shirt and held it out to the tailor. "It's his favorite shirt, so we'll really need it back in the same condition, or he'll come after our heads." she added with an uneasy laugh.

The tailor took the shirt and looked it over carefully. "Haha, I don't blame him. This is very good quality. I see he takes care of his things. That's always good." He glanced to the jacket on the cloth form and furrowed his thick brows. "I know it's none of my business, but how did it get in such a state?"

"We were caught in those storms that hit the west side of the island. Several of our things were damaged or have gone missing." Nami explained with a frown of her own.

That gray head nodded again as a deep hum left the old man. "Yes, Those storms have been brutal. Not many of the younger folks know, but those storms hit us once every fifty years or so. It is unusual that they're hitting the west side of the island. Usually they come in from the east."

"The east..?" Nami repeated slowly. "But.. We just moved our ship to the east..."

A grave look formed on the tailor's face as he heaved a sigh. "I'll offer a bit of advice. These storms usually last a couple of weeks. The safest place to be during them is inland. If your ship can handle it, I suggest you head for the nearest river and go inland until you're ready to leave."

The serious advice had the pair glancing towards one another warily before Nami bowed slightly to the tailor. "Thank you for telling us. Do you know how long it will take for you to finish the jacket?"

"It'll take a day for me to dye the fabric and let it cure out, so I won't be able to really start until the day after tomorrow. I'd say check back in four days. I should have the majority of it finished by then."

"And the cost?" Zoro asked while eyeing the woman warily.

"Ah, that I'm uncertain of..." The tailor looked back at his notes for a moment. "The materials alone will run you around.. 20 thousand. Add in my time and labor fees... A custom fitting... I'm going to roughly guess around 50 thousand."

"50 thousand beli...?" Nami repeated, her eye twitching slightly.

A smirk formed on the old man's face as he pointed the pencil at her. "That's me being ridiculously fair. I'm certain your friend paid twice as much when he bought this jacket new. Those gold buttons alone are worth around 20 thousand."

Zoro knew that Sanji had expensive tastes, so he wasn't entirely surprised at the potential price tag. However the conflicted look on the woman's face told him she was fighting with her own 'frugal' nature. _'She's wavering...'_

"Nami..." he grunted with an expectant glare.

He didn't care how much it cost. He was having this done.

Instantly seeing that when she looked into the swordsman's eyes, Nami finally heaved a defeated sigh and nodded. "Alright. I'll go ahead and pay the cost of the materials now, and then you can sum up the remaining amount when we return."

Snapping the notebook closed, the tailor smiled brightly and was quick to hook the young woman by the arm. "Excellent. If things go smoothly, I may be able to cut you a bit of a break. Just follow me and I'll set up your order." he stated while dragging her off to his office.

A bit thrown off by the sudden departure, Nami was soon glaring back over her shoulder and pointing at the swordsman. "You so owe me for this..."

"Yeah yeah, double interest, whatever." Zoro muttered with a careless wave of his hand. He honestly didn't care if he had to sell his soul to get this done.

'_As long as it makes him smile...'_

He glanced back when he heard the door to the tailor's office close. Now alone in the main shop, Zoro focused on the ruined jacket. His feet closed the space between him and the cloth form so he could get a better look at the rumpled jacket. It was strange to see the jacket like this. It was almost sad to see it in this state after watching the blonde take care of it for so long.

It was the jacket Sanji had been wearing the day he first saw the blonde.

He couldn't replace whatever sentimental value that was behind it, but he knew he could at least do the next best thing. Sanji just wouldn't be Sanji without it. Zoro knew that the moment he walked into the galley that one morning and saw how distraught the cook was over it.

He never imagined that he would be the one to take this step. He had no clue what he was doing, so was grateful for the navigator's assistance.

'_I never thought Nami would be so helpful with this.'_

There was no way he would have had the foresight to bring one of Sanji's shirts for the sake of measurements. Then again, he had never set foot in a tailor's shop before now. It was always too high society for him to even consider. He didn't have time for such pointless crap as dressing up.

Anyone that insisted upon it usually irritated the hell out of him.

"Damn.. I really don't have an inch of common ground to stand on with him..." Zoro mused to himself as he ran his finger over one of the gold buttons. When he did he felt a strange texture on the surface that he hadn't noticed before.

Curious, he leaned forward to get a better look at the buttons.

There on the face of each button was a faint swirl pattern.

Zoro immediately recognized it as the same swirl as those infamous eyebrows.

The sight made him chuckle.

"Heh... Annoying Curlicue..."

Yeah.

This was worth whatever price he had to pay.

_fjfjfjfjfjfjfjfj_

TBC

The price you pay to make someone smile is never a burden.

Later~


	12. Supposed to be here

Small gestures are always the most valued.

Enjoy~

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Chapter 12

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Bored.

So.

Damn.

Bored.

Leaning against the ship railing, Sanji stared listlessly out at the horizon.

Robin and Chopper were still out searching for their missing items.

Nami and Zoro had gone out for some reason to one of the villages.

Luffy and Usopp were playing checkers in the galley. In truth, they both were guarding it to prevent the blonde from trying to do too much when he wasn't even supposed to be out of bed.

That left Sanji with only two things to do.

Jack and shit.

The two in the galley had offered to let him join in on their checker tourney, but Sanji immediately declined. Luffy always pouted when he lost, and Usopp always tried to cheat. He had no desire to put himself through that kind of a headache.

"Dammit... there's gotta be something I can do..."

He thought of borrowing one of Robin's books, but he wouldn't be able to sit comfortably enough in order to focus on the words. Even now every move he made irritated his back, but the medicine that Chopper had been giving him made it tolerable.

The little doctor was obviously upset with him, but so far had not confronted him on hiding such a serious wound. Sanji was content to wait until Chopper decided to breach that subject. It would happen eventually.

Their reactions were not what he had expected at all so far, but it made him glad in a strange sort of way. He was able to see their concern. Their little efforts to help and talk to him were taking some of the self placed strain off of him. He was starting to understand more about this nakama business. Showing him that he didn't have to hide the pain like he did back on the Barati.

It was a drastic change of pace. No mocking. No harsh words to just suck it up and get back to work. It was genuine concerned effort to see he was okay.

It was nice.

A soft hum left him as he reached up and pulled out his cigarettes from the front pocket of the loose blue floral print shirt he was now wearing. He had left it unbuttoned since Chopper had instructed him not to wear any clothing that would rub against his back too much. That left out most of his custom fit clothing.

Which led him to a question that had been nagging at his mind for a couple of hours now. "Where the hell is my blue shirt...?" he muttered to himself as he lit up his cigarette with a flick of a lighter.

Taking in that smoke calmed his thoughts significantly. He wasn't allowed to smoke while in the girls' cabin, so he had been going without for the past few days. It was starting to make him jittery.

Now that he had his fix, his half lidded blue eyes glanced around the ship for anything that he could occupy himself with. His gaze fixed on the mikan trees above the galley. "Guess I could tend to those.. I don't think Nami-san would mind." he mused to himself as he pushed away from the railing.

He climbed to where the potted trees were, having to sneak past the galley door so the pair bickering loudly inside wouldn't hear him.

"What the hell was that?_!_"

"That was a brilliant move I like to call 'Captain Usopp's barrage'!"

"There aren't any catapults in checkers! Quit cheating!"

"That wasn't cheating, that was strategizing! Strategizing!"

"I'll strategize on your head if you don't take that move back!"

"Never!"

"As captain, I order you to take back that move!"

"Grrr.. You suck, Luffy..."

"You're just pissed because you're losing."

"Captain Usopp will defeat you yet, Strawhat!"

"Hahaha! Bring it!"

When their game resumed, Sanji rolled his eyes and continued up the stairs that led to the trees. "Leave it to those two to turn checkers into life or death..." he sighed with a shake of his head.

Once at the trees, he began to look over them to see if anything needed to be done. He always took the greatest care with Nami's trees. He didn't know if the others realized it, but he knew the trees were Nami's precious treasure. They were a part of her home, so he always did his best to treat them with as much care as he did with the woman herself.

"Hm.. They could use some water... Maybe a bit of pruning later. I'll ask Nami-san later."

His hands carefully examined the fruit on the trees to see if any of it needed to be picked soon. That was one thing Nami allowed him to do. He was allowed to pick any of the fruit when it was at its best. "A couple more weeks should ripen these... Wait a second..."

Something strange was sticking out from the back of the trees that caught his attention. He moved in close and saw light glinting off of metal. "What the hell is that thing..?"

Reaching out with his right hand, Sanji gently pried the object out of the mikan branches. The moment it was free his visible eye widened only to quickly narrow in a bland stare. "I don't believe this..." Object clutched firm in his hand, Sanji moved to the railing and looked down to the galley door below. "Oi! Usopp! Get your ass out here!"

A moment later the door pushed open, and out came both the sniper and the captain.

The two looked around curiously for their cook, but were puzzled when they didn't see him. "Sanji? Where are you?" Usopp called out with a tilt of his head.

"Up here."

The pair looked up to see the blonde leaning casually over the railing above them waving a very familiar looking pair of goggles in his right hand. "I believe you lost this." Sanji called out before tossing the goggles down to the slack jawed sniper.

Usopp had to shake out of his alarmed daze when he saw his precious goggles falling towards them. He practically pounced on them when they were in his reach and instantly hugged them tightly to his chest. "My goggles! Eee!_!_ Thank you, Sanji-kun! Thank you thank you thank you!_!_" he cried out with glee, tears already welling up in his eyes from how thrilled he was.

Smiling happily on seeing his sniper so happy, Luffy looked back up at his cook. "Where were they? I thought we searched the entire ship."

Sanji gestured towards the trees behind him with his thumb. "They got caught in Nami-san's mikan trees. Was up here seeing if they needed watering when I spotted them tangled in the branches."

On hearing that, Luffy gave a laugh and folded his arms behind his head. "Lucky! Sanji's so awesome for seeing that! Maybe we'll find your knives sticking out of the ship somewhere too!"

"Heh, now that would be lucky..." Sanji trailed off for a moment when he noticed the flag atop the mainmast suddenly change position. "Huh.. The wind has shifted... It's coming from the east now."

"Hm?" Luffy glanced up and saw the flag blowing in the opposite direction from before. "Ah, so it has. Maybe it's a good omen."

Unable to stop himself from rolling his eyes, Sanji pinched the bridge of his nose. "Sure... Anyway.. Last time the wind shifted that monster storm nearly sank us. I think we should start securing things just to be on the safe side."

Usopp readily held up his hand. "I vote safe side too! Let me go tape these to my head, and I'll be right with you, Sanji-kun!" he called out before scurrying off to find a way to secure his goggles first.

Luffy chuckled at the display, but he soon turned his attention back to the blonde above him. Without giving it a second thought, he shot up his right hand to grab the railing near Sanji and hoisted himself up with a snap. The moment he had perched himself next to his cook, he looked out towards the open ocean. "If I asked how you were doing, would you give me an honest answer?"

The calm question had Sanji raising a brow, but a slight smirk twitched at his lips. "Probably not."

"Ah. I won't ask then." Luffy looked to Sanji expectantly. "Will you please join us? Usopp keeps cheating, and I need another pair of eyes to watch him."

The request was a bit odd, but it had Sanji's smirk growing as a laugh left him. "Sure. After we secure everything, I'll be your judge and deal swift punishment for any rule breaking."

Grinning brightly now that he had someone in his corner, Luffy bounced happily on the railing. "Yosh! I'm gonna kick Usopp's ass for sure now!"

That exuberance was just too much. Sanji smiled and shook his head as he looked out to the ocean. "Luffy.. I don't think I've thanked you."

Luffy's head tilted curiously at the sudden statement. "Thanked me for what?"

Sanji paused for a moment. His cigarette poised in front of his lips before he finally answered. "For picking me."

On hearing the simple words, Luffy smiled brightly and happily kicked his legs back and forth. "Sanji is so silly. I should thank you for saying yes. I knew you were my cook the moment I saw you. Nakama isn't just a bunch of people. It's the people you're supposed to be with." he finished with a resolute nod.

Sanji found himself looking back at his captain. "Supposed to be with?"

"Yes. We belong together. We'll sail this sea until we've conquered all our dreams!" Luffy exclaimed, his hands raised high in the air.

More groundless confidence, but Sanji was instantly smiling brightly. "I suppose 'Cook to the Pirate King' does have a nice sound to it."

"Of course it does! And WHEN I'm pirate king, I'm gonna have a huuuuge kitchen with everything in it, and you're going to cook for me until I explode!" Luffy cackled, bouncing eagerly on his perch atop the railing.

Grinning at the idea, Sanji lightly wagged his cigarette between his teeth. "I believe I can handle that. So,Captain Pirate King-sama, why don't you give me a hand making sure we've got everything ready in case we have to haul ass?"

"Yosh! And after that, Usopp's ass gets kicked!"

"Captain Usopp will not lose to you!" Usopp cried out as he came back on deck with his goggles literally taped to his head.

"Oh yeah?_!_ I bet I can secure everything on deck faster than you!" Luffy jeered.

"Bring it, Pirate king!" Usopp cackled before dashing off to get ropes from the forward cannon room.

"Hey! No fair getting a head start! See, Sanji? He cheats! Cheats!" Luffy whined before hopping off the rail to quickly start catching up with the sniper.

As the two began scuffling and bickering over trying to best each other, Sanji let out a soft chuckle and looked towards the sky. "So I'm supposed to be here, huh?"

He noticed the way the sky was beginning to look a bit overcast to the east, but the sight didn't bother him.

"We'll weather any storm..."

_fjfjfjfjfjfjfjfj_

TBC

Look to the sky and dream about the future.

Later~


	13. Depressing to look at

The more that try, the brighter the outcome.

Enjoy~

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Chapter 13

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"Ah! Look! It's Zoro and Nami! Hey! Over here!"

The pair that had been on their way back to the ship glanced back to see Chopper and Robin heading towards them across the beach. They took the pleased expressions on their faces as a good sign, so stopped to allow them to catch up.

"Hey! How did you two fair?" Nami asked as they drew closer.

Chopper was instantly beaming as he came to a stop in front of the navigator. "I found the rest of my bottles! And look!" He held up something long and narrow wrapped up in a piece of cloth. "I found two of Sanji's knives!"

Nami's eyes immediately lit up on hearing that. "That's great, Chopper! Sanji will be so happy!"

Blushing, Chopper held back from his usual denial as he looked over to Zoro. He knew that Zoro was trying to patch things up with the cook, so he held up the wrapped knives in offering to the swordsman. "Would you like to give them back to him?"

That offer was unexpected, but Zoro was soon shaking his head as a slight smile twitched onto his lips. "It wouldn't mean anything if I gave them to him. You do it. He'll be happier if it came from you."

Frowning slightly, Chopper tilted his head curiously. "Why wouldn't it mean anything from you?"

"Because I didn't find them. I won't take credit for your hard work, Chopper." Zoro pressed the bundle back into the little reindeer's small arms and gestured towards the ship in the distance. "Go on. Cheer up that psychotic cook."

Although he wasn't sure he really got it, Chopper smiled and gave a firm nod before heading off for the ship.

A bit surprised, Robin hummed softly as their doctor went on ahead of them. "That was very considerate, Swordsman-san, but why did you decline his offer?"

"I'm not going to fix this by using others. I'll make it up to him my way." Zoro stated without hesitation. He knew too well how much Sanji disliked people taking credit from someone else. He disliked it just as much.

"You were awful free with my money..." Nami muttered, but quickly glanced away when Zoro's narrowed gaze shifted towards her. "We best get back. I don't like the looks of those clouds on the horizon." she said to change the subject before walking away.

Hardly impressed with the evasion, Zoro stared at her back in annoyance for a moment. "I don't see what she's complaining about. I feel like I sold my soul to get her to pay." he grumbled loudly.

That piqued Robin's interest. "Oh? Have you bought something for Cook-san?" she asked with a little smile.

"Half bought at least. I'll have to wait and see how it turns out later." Zoro mused out loud. Now that he was alone with Robin, he glanced towards her and regarded her calmly. "You've been very quiet throughout this entire thing."

The comment had the older woman thinking silently for a moment. She gave a soft hum and folded her arms before speaking. "I honestly don't know what I should do or say in this situation. It's always been my experience that when a situation explodes like that, the two sides part with a great deal of animosity." She looked to his dark eyes with a perplexed frown. "The fact you're trying so hard.. And Cook-san's still trying as well... I'm at a loss."

Seeing that she was being honest, Zoro found himself thinking that over as well. "The obvious answer would be that we're still nakama. No matter what we do, that doesn't change. I could very well fail miserably, but he's at least granted me that much." It was far more than he really deserved. Zoro knew too well that he was seriously testing his luck with this venture, but he at least had Sanji's trust. He knew that if he lost that trust there was no getting it back.

Bitter thoughts filled his mind, but he quickly turned and headed for the ship. "Succeed or fail, I'll accept what I've earned."

Robin watched him for a moment. There was a determination about him that she hadn't seen before. It made a wider smile curl her lips. "I believe you shall earn what you work for, Swordsman-san." she said quietly to herself as she soon took up step after him.

At the ship, Chopper hopped up the gangplank in time to hear a chorus of laughter coming from the galley.

"Hahaha! That was so awesome, Sanji! Do it again!"

"No! That really hurt! Bastard cook! Stop doing that!"

"Then stop cheating, Shitty sniper."

"I told you! It's strategizing!" There was a sudden 'twang' sound. "Ow! Stop that!"

"That's too awesome! Maybe you should try being the sniper, Sanji!"

"Hey! No giving my job away!"

Instantly worried that Sanji was doing too much, Chopper quickly rushed up the stairs to the galley. He jumped into the open doorway, but the chiding words instantly died on his lips at what he saw.

Seated on either side of the kitchen table was Usopp and Luffy. Luffy was cackling like mad, banging his fist on the wooden table. Making the checker pieces bounce on the board sat in the middle. Usopp was grumbling loud curses as he rubbed a little red welt on his nose.

Perched atop the end of the table was Sanji. His legs folded underneath him as he held up a rubber band up around his left thumb and index finger that was pulled back and loaded with a little wadded up piece of paper. He was aiming directly at the sniper and appeared to be in waiting. "You're doing this to yourself, Usopp. Stop cheating and I won't have to fire."

Usopp was about to snap back, but he noticed the figure at the door. On turning his head, Usopp bolted to his feet and pointed rigidly to the cook. "Chopper! Tell Sanji to stop.. Um.. Overexerting himself! Yeah! He needs to go back to bed!"

"Oi! No stealing my judge!" Luffy yelped as he threw a black checker at Usopp. He then turned to the little doctor and grinned. "Hey Chopper! How was your search?"

For a moment Chopper tilted his head in confusion, but soon shook his head to focus on the question. "Ah! Yes! I found the rest of my bottles.. And..." Chopper looked down at the wrapped bundle in his arms. He then looked up to the cook and held it up to him. "I found this, Sanji."

"Hm?" Sanji looked up from his target, and eyed the bundle Chopper was holding. On seeing the length of it, his visible eye widened. Slowly, he slid off his perch on the table and walked around to the door. On reaching the reindeer, Sanji seemed to hesitate for a moment before he reached out to take it. On feeling the weight his throat felt tighter.

Turning around, Sanji moved to the table and sat it down on the end. He looked at it for a moment longer before he pulled open the cloth. On seeing the two knives resting on the gray cloth, Sanji bit at his lower lip.

When the cook's shoulders seemed to be tense, Chopper grew worried. "They.. They are yours right..?"

Hearing that concern...

"Yes..." Sanji turned back around to the little doctor and stepped up to him. He then knelt down to the floor and reached out. His long arms then pulled Chopper to him in a firm hug. "Thank you, Chopper... Thank you so much..."

Startled by the embrace, Chopper blushed and looked lover Sanji's shoulder to the pair at the table. Both of them were smiling happily, and Luffy readily gave him a thumbs up.

Seeing that made Chopper smile as he hugged the cook back.

He had made his nakama happy.

"You're welcome, Sanji..."

He held on for a moment longer, then Sanji pulled away to smile brightly at the doctor. "Anything you want, just name it. As soon as you give me the go ahead, I'll make you a buffet of sweets that will keep you on a sugar high for a month." he declared as he beamed genuinely.

The happiness that Chopper saw made him grin as he gleefully wiggled in place a bit. "Don't think that makes me happy, you stubborn bastard~!" he practically chirped as his blush grew brighter.

A lighthearted laugh left Sanji's lips as he patted the top of the pink hat. "I wouldn't dare presume."

At the gangplank, Nami found herself smiling as she watched what was happening. "It's been a long time since I've heard that laugh..." She glanced behind her when she heard heavy boots begin up the plank. On seeing Zoro, she gestured lightly towards the Galley. "You were right. Sanji is thrilled."

Zoro glanced up in time to see the radiant smile that was on the blonde's face as he listened to Chopper explain where the knives had been. Although he wasn't the one that put it there, Zoro was still smiling on seeing the life back in that too pale face. "He appreciates genuine effort. It coming from Chopper is better. Chopper has nothing to prove. He did it to make the cook happy on his own. That's what means the most to him."

"Sounds as if you've learned quite a bit about Cook-san." Robin observed as she joined them on deck.

A slight snort left Zoro's lips as he shook his head. "That I always knew." He turned his attention to the navigator and looked at her expectantly. "Do you want to start finding a way to head inland? The sky is getting darker on the horizon."

"Inland?" Robin repeated curiously.

The redhead nodded as she pulled a folded piece of paper from her khaki shorts pocket. "Someone in town told us that these storms happen in a fifty year cycle. He said they usually come from the east, and recommended we should head for the nearest river." She looked up to the galley and called out. "Sanji! Are Usopp and Luffy up there?"

On hearing the navigator's voice, Sanji immediately moved to the railing, picking up Chopper and holding him like a teddy bear as he waved eagerly. "Nami-swaaan~! Yes, they're here!" He quickly looked over his shoulder at the pair in the galley. "Oi, shitheads! Get out here. Nami-san wants something!"

Readily following the cook's usual exuberant orders, Luffy and Usopp were soon at the railing beside him. "What's up, Nami?" Luffy asked while poking at the blush on the squirming Chopper's face.

"We need to head for the nearest river. More storms are coming, so we need to head inland. Can you secure everything?" Nami requested as she unfolded the map that the tailor had given her.

"Already done!" Usopp called out with a grin.

"Done..?" Nami repeated in surprise.

Luffy pointed at Sanji. "Yeah, Sanji had us do that an hour ago. We're ready to go whenever you are. All we need is to raise anchor."

"Hope you don't mind, Nami-san. I didn't like the way the wind suddenly shifted." Sanji said while placing the wiggling Chopper on the railing.

"Ah.. No! In fact that's perfect. Thank you, Sanji-kun! Luffy, Usopp, raise anchor. We have to leave now."

"Yosh! Let's go, Usopp!" Luffy wasted no time by hopping over the railing to the deck.

"Right behind you!"

As the two rushed off to raise anchor, Chopper glanced back towards Sanji from his perch on the rail. He was glad that he had helped put the smile back on his face, but one thing still nagged at him. "Sanji.. I want to ask you a question.. But I don't want to upset you."

Sanji looked at the little doctor curiously. "Do you think it would upset me?"

"It might..." Chopper shifted uneasily on the railing, but he had himself meet the visible blue eye. "I.. Want to know how you kept everything from me. I'm not going to ask why you kept it from me.. But with that much blood you were losing.. Why didn't I notice the scent?"

"Ah. That." Sanji busied himself to get another cigarette lit as he answered. "I was over seasoning your food. Every time you ate, it dulled your sense of smell. It really was paranoid of me, and I apologize. I.. Just have some previous issues that drove me to think it was all necessary."

A slight frown furrowed Chopper's brow, but he still nodded. "I see.. Do.. Do you still think it's necessary?"

The blonde head shook. "No. Don't worry, Chopper. I won't hide anymore."

Chopper's smile soon returned on hearing that. "That's good. How are you feeling? Do you need anymore medicine?"

That concern made Sanji's lips curl into a smile as well. "It's starting to pull a bit when I move, but I guess that's because it's starting to heal."

The doctor nodded. "It'll probably start itching too as the skin knits itself back together. As long as you don't overdo anything and keep it relatively dry, you should be able to get back to some cooking and light ship chores next week."

Sanji slumped slightly at that news. "Dammit.. I'm going crazy with nothing to do." he grumbled as he absently chewed on his cigarette filter.

"You really should be resting. Usually the best way to deal with an injury or an illness is to just sleep through it."

"Blaaah... There's only so much sleeping I can do before even my dreams get boring." Sanji grumbled with that perpetual bored look back on his face.

Hoisting the anchor up and hooking it in place as he always did, Zoro glanced back to the galley to see Sanji lightly arguing with the doctor. Chopper was glaring as best he could in his smallest form while pointing and nagging at the blonde who looked as if he was barely paying attention. He could tell Sanji's retorts were sarcastic from just looking.

He sorely missed being the victim of that sarcastic wit. He missed the arguments. The teasing. The random fights over nothing.

'_I miss him... I want that annoying bastard back...'_ As he continued to try and make amends, that was what was constantly wearing on his mind.

Would he get back the man as he was, or will this chain of events change the blonde?

It was the only thing he feared.

More than failure. More than anything.

"Ow! What the fuck?_!_" Rubbing at the sore place on his forehead, Zoro noticed a wadded up little piece of paper next to his boot. His glare shot around until the only person he saw was Sanji still standing at the rail in front of the galley. He was twirling a rubber band around his finger and staring with that same bored expression on his face.

Realizing that the cook had shot him with the projectile, Zoro's glare became confused. "What the hell was that for?"

A snort left the blonde's lips as he reached into his shirt pocket for another little wad of paper. "You were becoming depressing to look at." He was soon aiming with the rubber band again as a slight smirk curled his lips. "Stop that broody shit, or the next one puts your eye out. Stupid Marimo."

The moment he heard that sarcastic insult, a broad smirk was pulling over Zoro's face. "Whatever, Shit cook. You just try it. I-Ow! Bastard!" Zoro yelped as he rubbed at the welt forming on his right ear.

Chuckling at that indignant glare he had missed, Sanji flipped off the swordsman and turned back towards the galley. "I talked Chopper into letting me make simple things. I was going to make some white rice and some vegetable stirfry. Want anything?"

He had expected the one finger salute, but the offer attached to it was unexpected. However on thought of the blonde's cooking his stomach growled and his mouth watered. "That sounds fine."

"Alright. It'll be ready in half an hour." Sanji called out before disappearing behind the galley door.

As the door closed Zoro began to feel a bit more confident. Sanji was far too stubborn to change for anyone. And that was a fact he was more than pleased to finally understand.

With that fear no longer on his thoughts, only one thing filled his head.

"I can fix this."

For the first time, he really believed he could.

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TBC

Anything can be fixed if you learn from how it was broken.

Later~


	14. Turtles

Get ready to sing.

Enjoy~

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Chapter 14

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"Uuuup the river~! We're going uuuup the river~!"

"Is that really a song, Luffy?"

"Who cares?_!_ Sing with me! Uuuup the river~!"

"We're going uuuup the river~!"

Watching as Usopp and Chopper sung with their captain at the bow, Sanji smirked and shook his head. "Wouldn't be so bad if they could actually carry a tune." he mused as he flicked the ashes off his cigarette.

"Eh... They're happy. Might as well let them." Zoro replied from where he stood near the still broken galley door. They really needed to get that fixed. They needed to get a lot of things fixed.

Sanji let out a thoughtful hum as he nodded. "I suppose we should all be happy. We narrowly missed that storm." The blonde head turned back and took note of the ominous black clouds that seemed to linger along the coast. It had rolled in just as they reached the mouth of the river Nami had chosen. Within moments of them heading inland, the storm had already gathered up a tremendous force. "Doubt we would have been able to make it out of that one as easily as the others."

Zoro looked back as well and had to admit the lightning that was crackling and jumping from cloud to cloud didn't look pleasant at all. "Yeah. We should still be on guard. Nami said stronger storms can still follow a river."

"True." Sanji replied before taking another drag.

The light conversation was a vast improvement compared to the days of silence that had passed between them. Zoro was surprised that Sanji was the first one to break that silence, but it encouraged him that the cook was wanting to patch things up as well. He knew that he wouldn't be able to do a damn thing unless Sanji wanted it too. With every word the blonde spoke, Zoro was starting to believe that Sanji did want it. Maybe as much as he did.

A silence settled over them, but it wasn't awkward like it was in the past few days. It was still guarded, but more mutual. Neither of them were looking for a way out. They just stood there at the rail in front of the galley, quietly watching the river Merry was fighting against to get them further inland.

After a moment of quietly watching, Zoro glanced over to the calm look over the still too pale face. Sanji really needed to rest, but everyone knew that the stubborn man had limits on how long he would stay down. It was a miracle they got him to stay in bed as long as they did.

Still...

Zoro didn't like the dark shadows that clung beneath the tired eyes. He didn't like how he could almost see through the pale skin to the blue tinted veins that ran beneath the surface. He didn't like how there was a faint tremble in the slender shoulders. Almost too faint to see like Sanji was trying to fight off a chill.

There was one thing that did puzzle Zoro, though...

Puzzled yet inspired a sense of awe...

Through the entire ordeal...

Through every stitch of pain...

Sanji's hands were like rock. Not once did he ever see them falter. Not one twitch. It made him wonder how the cook managed it. Zoro could think of several times when his hands trembled whenever the stress was stacking up around him. Moments when it took every shred of his will to keep his katana steady within his grip.

But Sanji...

It seemed like there was nothing that could make those treasured hands hesitate. Pain. Fear. Anger. Nothing seemed to faze those hands.

It was just impressive. No matter which way anyone looked at it.

Zoro's dark eyes fixed on the way the pale hand was lightly holding the cigarette between the long tapered fingers. The way it was so steady even as the ship rocked on the water. It was just... He couldn't even describe it.

He looked back to the pale face staring out into the distance. He wondered for a moment what Sanji thought of when he lapsed into those quiet spells. Those blue eyes seemed to stare down the horizon. As if daring it to throw another hurdle at him. Looking forward with a calm composure as if he had already solved life's problems.

Maybe...

"What's on your mind?" Direct approach was always best.

"Hm?" Sanji glanced over at his nakama briefly before looking further up river. "Wondering what it would be like to be a turtle."

"Wha...?" Zoro stared blankly at the blonde.

When he saw that Sanji was being serious, Zoro let out a heavy breath as he pinched at the bridge of his nose tight. Suddenly all the mystery behind the silent thoughtful poses Sanji frequently took on fell flat to the ground. _'Of all the stupid shit he could say...'_ He stopped himself for a moment and decided bite.

"Okay.. Why are you thinking something like that?"

A shrug faintly tilted Sanji's shoulders as he took another drag from his cigarette. "Hm.. I dunno. Thought about what it would be like to carry your home on your back everywhere you go. Never being without it. Taking your time to do whatever to wanted. Your only worries being finding food, not getting eaten and finding a nice girl turtle to hookup with occasionally." he rambled off with a careless wave of his hand.

Raising a brow, Zoro leaned back against the wall next to the galley door and folded his arms over his chest. "So you're saying you'd like to be a turtle?"

"Pfft. Shit no. Sounds boring as hell."

The swordsman stared blankly at the blonde's back before his palm collided with his face. He scrubbed at his face in frustration as he bit back the sarcastic comment that he wanted to counter with. "Okay.. I don't get it. What exactly is your point?"

"Heh.. Point?" Sanji repeated with a short laugh. "There isn't one. Not everything has to have a point, Marimo..." He trailed off for a moment before he continued. That thoughtful look back on his face. "But.. The idea of being at home no matter where you are... That idea sounds nice."

"Aren't we?"

The question had Sanji turning back to look at his companion. "What?"

Zoro reached back and lightly knocked on the wooden wall with his knuckles. "Isn't Merry our home? No matter where we are, Merry's there."

Sanji was quiet for a moment before he eventually nodded. "Yes.. I suppose that's right... But then again, I was taught home was where you were supposed to be. Where you belonged." He turned around a gave a slight gesture towards their captain still singing horribly atop Merry's head. "Luffy told me.. That nakama were the people you were supposed to be with..."

"So... Nakama is home." Zoro pieced together.

"Hm.." Sanji hummed softly before taking one last hit from his smoke. He held it deep for a moment before letting it out slowly with a faint nod of his head. "So it would seem."

There was something about the tone of Sanji's voice that had Zoro concerned. He pushed away from the wall and stepped up to the rail next to the blonde. The calm look on the pale face had him frowning. "Sanji... If I.."

"You think turtle sex is difficult? I mean there's that big clunky shell to contend with." Sanji asked suddenly as he flicked his spent cigarette towards the water.

It was so random that Zoro nearly fell over the rail from shock. His hands clutched to it tightly to keep himself upright as he leveled a glare at the blonde. "Dammit, Sanji! I was trying to be supportive, and you bring up turtle sex?_!_ What the fuck is wrong with you?_!_"

A wide shit eating grin was on Sanji's face as he poked at Zoro's nose. "Nothing. I just wanted to see that priceless 'what the fuck' look on your face. I've missed that." he teased before turning away and heading for the galley door.

Blinking in alarm at the fact he was just played, Zoro was soon growling and storming after the blonde. "Fuckin curlicue, get back here!"

At the bow, Usopp and Chopper glanced back when they heard the shout. They immediately saw Sanji laughing as he had his hand pushing Zoro by the face out of the galley, and Zoro growling as he tried to pull the hand off his face.

"Luffy... Sanji and Zoro are fighting again... I think..?" Chopper said slowly. He was very unsure when he saw the bright expression on the cook's face.

"Eh?" Luffy turned to look, and was instantly smiling at what he saw. "Ah. So they are."

"Should we stop them?" Usopp asked with a tilt of his head.

The captain took in the sound of Sanji's laughter as he continued to jeer the blushing Zoro. "Heh.. Nah. It makes them happy. Might as well let them." He gave a dismissive wave of his hand and turned back to look up river. "Let's sing some more! Uuuuup the river~!"

Usopp and Chopper looked to one another before giving a mutual shrug and joining in. "We're going uuuuup the river~!"

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TBC

Hm.. How do they get around that clunky shell...

Later~


	15. Owning you

I wonder who will take the first step.

Enjoy~

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Chapter 15

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The sky was surprisingly clear when Zoro took up watch for the night. They had sailed Merry up river to a tributary that had calmer currents, so they dropped anchor to wait out the storms. It was a quiet enough place with trees and large rock formations surrounding them. It was good for blocking any of the harsh winds that any of the storms would brew up.

Zoro leaned back against the mast in his perch up in the crowsnest. Hands folded behind his head and legs crossed as he simply gazed up at the sky. The stars shone brightly overhead as he took to silently counting the brighter ones.

Normally he would spend his watch time lifting weights or working on pushups, but tonight he didn't really feel like it. He let his mind wander over everything that had happened as of late. Seeing the life that was steadily returning to Sanji's eyes inspired him, but it still wasn't enough. He needed to do something more. Something to help him regain that closeness that he had stolen before.

He wasn't sure what exactly it was he felt for the cook, but that brief moment of closeness..

That one kiss they shared...

It haunted him. He had liked it. Probably more than he should have, but there was something there that he had seen behind the blonde's bravado. It had been in those blue eyes. A spark of something he had never seen before. It promised something. Unfortunately things blew up all to hell before Zoro could figure it out.

A frown creased his brow as he locked his eyes with the bright half moon hanging in the sky. He knew he almost had it. He almost had it the moment Sanji told him why he had risked aggravating his wounds for the sake of a piece of cloth.

'_Because it's important to you. I couldn't let sink without at least trying to get it back.'_

Zoro raised his hand and placed it on his left arm where the bandana was firmly tied. It had torn him apart when Sanji threw it to the ground. It had made him realized just how far he had pushed the cook. For Sanji to throw away something that was important to someone.

He was still ashamed for everything. It took him a while for him to realize that he had purposely threatened to tell the others just so Sanji would be forced to depend on him. He had liked the way Sanji had complied to his orders on that first night far too much. He liked the way Sanji needed him. When he recalled liking the fact Sanji would have to go to him after he had ruined his bandages...

He hid his eyes behind his hand as the shame fell over him.

Sanji had opened up to him. Trusted him. Confessed things that he had kept hidden for a reason. Treated him like an equal.

What had Zoro done?

"I cornered him instead of just going straight to Chopper... I forced him to trust me instead of getting him the medical attention he really needed... I got too wrapped up in thinking I owed him for saving me... Instead of just being grateful..."

Zoro bowed his head as the list kept getting bigger, but one thing stuck out in his mind.

One thing that made his stomach turn. The one thing he had refused to think about.

"He has to carry those wounds... Those scars... On his back because of me..."

He knew Sanji didn't have the same stigma about wounds on the back that he did. Sanji wasn't a swordsman. As long as his hands were safe, Sanji didn't give a shit about where he was wounded. He was a close combat expert. His entire body was a weapon. A finely tuned weapon that could withstand untold punishment. With his self sacrificing nature, it really shouldn't have surprised Zoro that Sanji pushed him out of the way. He would have done it for any of them.

But none of that mattered.

He wouldn't be able to look at the blonde without thinking of that moment where Sanji had him pinned. Blood rolling down his pale face. His body so still and strong. That first moment he saw the full extent of that horrible wound that Sanji beared with a casual ease. All of that blood that just kept rolling down the mangled flesh...

In the end, it boiled down to two things.

Sanji nearly died trying to save him.

Sanji nearly died trying to kill him.

"He has the right... He saved my life.. He can take it if he wishes..." Zoro mused to himself before looking back up to the sky.

Sanji was a better man than that, though. He was a far better man. He still offered his trust with outstretched hands. Without even understanding it, Sanji was a true nakama despite the fact he didn't allow anyone to return that effort for his sake.

That was going to change. Zoro easily saw how everyone was making the effort to show Sanji exactly what he was a part of. He could tell the blonde was beginning to understand. He was opening up and letting the people he cared for help shoulder the load he placed upon himself without even thinking. It was a definitely an encouraging sign.

Most of all Zoro still had hope. Sanji gave Zoro hope as a foundation to build on. Now all Zoro had to do was figure out what to build. That and find out if Sanji was willing to build it with him.

He didn't want to hope for too much, but he wanted to figure out what he had let slip through his fingers. He wanted that look that had been in those blue eyes. He wanted whatever they were going to promise him.

As he began to ponder over how to get off that infamous 'shit list', he didn't notice the sound of footsteps walking out on deck. He didn't notice the faint light from the match that was struck.

But when the soft breeze carried the familiar scent of smoke Zoro immediately sat up. He moved to the edge of the crowsnest and looked down.

There leaning against the deck rail was the object of his thoughts. Quietly smoking as he stared out into the darkness. By the light of the moon, Zoro could make out the blonde only wearing a pair of red cargo shorts. The pale light reflected brightly off the gold hair and the white bandages. It almost made the cook seem like a ghost.

That thought left a bad taste in Zoro's mouth.

Before he really thought it through, Zoro found himself climbing down from the crowsnest. The thought occurred to him that the blonde might have wanted some alone time. Still, Zoro climbed down to the deck and approached the bandaged back. Seeing those strips of gauze made a knot twist in his stomach, but he still pressed on.

At first he didn't say anything. He merely stepped up to the rail beside his nakama and took to leaning against it as well. Looking out into the distance in a vain attempt to look for whatever had caught that blue gaze.

Eventually, after a long silent moment, Zoro spoke. "So... Figured out how those turtles solve that shell problem?"

An amused snort left Sanji as he blew out a long stream of smoke. "Nah. I gave up. I figured it was about the equivalent of a steel plated chastity belt. It can be done, but a hell of a lot of hassle. I have a new respect for all the turtle brothers out there."

That response got a chuckle from Zoro. "That kind of determination is admirable. So what brings you out at this hour? Luffy snoring too loud?"

"I'm used to that. It's the whistling sound Usopp's nose makes that makes me grind my teeth... But no. I just couldn't sleep. My back's been itching like hell. I came up for a smoke to see if that'll calm it down." Sanji explained before taking another deep drag. The smoke helped a little, but he still felt like rubbing his back against the mainmast like a bear trying to scratch a spot he couldn't reach.

Zoro could easily relate. The slash he had gotten across his chest itched like mad when it had been healing. "I'm sure Chopper has something for that."

Sanji gave another snort. A sarcastic one. "Oh he does. This funky green salve. Shit smells nasty. I told him I'd rather have the itching. Why does medicine always have to look/taste/smell repulsive? Nothing against Chopper. His work is awesome, but still.. Blech." he finished with a little shudder.

That pulled a smile over Zoro's lips. Sanji was speaking openly with him again. That alone made him feel as if things were finally smoothing over. "Thought you said you would work with him on that."

"Eh, so I did... Still, I have to be careful. If I make it taste too good, Luffy might eat Chopper's entire stock supply." the cook added thoughtfully. Although the thought of a drugged up Luffy was amusing, he didn't want Chopper to deal with the aftermath of that.

"Good point."

The visible blue eye flickered over to the man standing quietly at the rail. There was a look of content on his face. Sanji could see it clearly even in the dark. He knew Zoro was trying in his own not so smooth way to make things better. He expected nothing less from someone as honorable as the swordsman.

What did surprise him was that the moss head was actually trying to reclaim the intimacy that had been barely sparking between them. He had honestly thought that closeness was just a product of the hero complex that Zoro had unwittingly fallen into. Then again Sanji had instigated some of it himself. He knew that the situation they were in was just as much his fault as Zoro's.

He was the one that hid the wound. He was the one that caved into Zoro's threats. He was the one that got lured in by the kind touch that Zoro had given him. The one that impulsively sought out more when he was too strung out to really know what he was doing. In a way he had led Zoro on. He wasn't going to use his injured state and exhaustion as an excuse.

Sanji had wanted that kindness from Zoro. Probably from Zoro more than anyone. The fact he had hurt Zoro...

Had actually tried to kill him...

That tore at him more than anything Zoro did.

Unable to hold back any longer, Sanji let out a heavy sigh and leaned over a bit until his shoulder was lightly touching Zoro's. "I'm really not worth the effort you're putting in, Marimo..."

The touch was unexpected, but, on hearing those words, Zoro let out a thoughtful hum. He knew he was probably pressing his luck, but he still raised his arm and wrapped it around the slender shoulders. "That's for me to decide, idiot."

For a moment Sanji tensed as the strong arm wrapped around him. When he felt the loose hold and the warmth that was being offered, Sanji found himself leaning into the embrace. "Stubborn kelp head..." he mumbled even as a faint smile ghosted across his face.

"Psychotic curlicue..." Zoro readily mumbled in reply as he turned his head to gently bury his face in the soft blonde hair.

They both stayed close for a long drawn out moment. Simply enjoying the warmth they felt from one another. As they did something became clear to the both of them. There was a strange bond the two had. Not only of nakama, but something else. Something a bit more complex.

It made Zoro think of what Luffy had told him.

"I'm the heart... You're the soul..."

"Hm?" Sanji had been lost in his own thoughts when he heard Zoro's whispered words. "Heart and soul of what?"

A bit embarrassed that he had actually said that out loud, Zoro coughed slightly and turned his head to look back to their shadowed surroundings. "Ah... Something Luffy told me."

When it was left at that, Sanji frowned, but he didn't press the matter. He quietly finished off his cigarette as he leaned a bit more into that solid body next to him. "Hm... Luffy's been very understanding... Sometimes I forget how perceptive he can really be."

"So do I.. But we're lucky to have him as our captain."

"Yeah..." Sanji trailed off for a moment before he turned to face his companion a bit better. There he looked into those dark eyes watching him. After a few seconds a sigh left him as he looked away in a frustrated pout. "Dammit.. I had thought I could hold out longer than this..."

Confused, Zoro tilted his head as his hand rested on the gauze covered shoulder. "Hold out? What are you talking about?"

The cook rolled his eyes at the question. "You always were a bit slow, Marimo..." His steady hand reached up and gently cupped the tan face. A smirk twitched at his lips and he move in closer. "I don't know what the hell it is about you... But whatever the fuck it is, I've missed it... I've missed you." he whispered as he closed the space between them.

The words didn't really dawn on Zoro until he felt those soft lips pressing against his own. His eyes widened and his body tensed for an instant. Was this real? Had he fallen asleep again?

Those questions were abruptly tossed out of his head when he felt something warm and wet ghost between his lips. On feeling that silent request, Zoro's eyes slid shut as his lips slowly parted for that exploring tongue. Tobacco and spice, those were the flavors that instantly filled his mouth. A faint groan was torn from him when he found himself liking that taste. Wanting more of it.

The hand on Sanji's shoulder inched its way up until it was threading into the silky blonde hair. Just being this close again was enough to make Zoro's spine tingle. His tongue lazily twined and fought with the one invading his mouth. He was taking his sweet time with this.

Which Sanji was more than willing to indulge in. Feeling that hand in his hair and the other resting lightly on his hip made the blonde lean more into the broad frame. The warmth and strength he could sense from his nakama calmed him. Comforted him against the irritating pain that still plagued him better than any of the cigarettes he could possibly smoke.

He was able to draw Zoro's tongue out after some teasing. The moment he did he wrapped his lips around it and suckled softly, humming in pleasure when the hand in his hair gripped tight. He enjoyed the moan the act tore from Zoro, but, instead of continuing, Sanji pulled away. His pale hand caressed the tan face as he looked into the heated gaze that was fixed on him. The silent questions in those dark eyes amused him, but behind the confusion he saw something else. Hope. Clear and honest hope that this was real.

A genuine smile formed on the too pale lips. "Don't think you're off my shit list just yet, Marimo. I... Just think this is more important. Too important for angry hurt feelings to get in the way of." Sanji whispered before carefully nipping at the dark and still moist lips.

Those words thrilled Zoro more than he would ever admit, but they also sobered him. "But you're still hurt." he whispered. Not that he was surprised. He knew a single kiss wouldn't erase any of the damage done. Nor would it cover up anything. Sanji was still in pain. It was probably going to be a while before that pain started to ease away.

The blonde head nodded faintly. He wasn't going to deny the pain any longer. It only made things worse. "I am.. But this helps."

That was all Zoro needed to hear. His right arm gingerly wrapped back around the slim shoulders and pulled the lithe body closer to him. He wished he could wrap his arms around the cook and hold on tight, but he had to settle for this. It soon didn't seem like settling when he felt a pair of long arms wrap around his waist and pull him flush against the smaller frame. A content hum was pulled from him as he buried his face in the gold silk.

Sanji placed a few soft kisses to Zoro's neck as his hands gripped at the back of the soft white shirt. This comforting feeling that seemed to drape around him eased a great deal of the tension out of his strung out body. He finally allowed himself to fully relax against his companion.

A deep breath left him before he nuzzled his face deeper against the strong corded neck. "Mmm.. And don't think this will keep me from kicking your ass if you piss me off, Shitty Marimo..."

Zoro chuckled at the added comment and moved to nip at Sanji's ear. "Don't think I won't take every opportunity to piss you off... I always liked it when you were pissed anyway."

"Heh... That explains why you always pissed me off." Sanji mused on a snort.

"You make it so easy. It's difficult to resist..." Zoro trailed off for a second when he noticed Sanji was gently swaying them from side to side as he held on. The act made him smile. "You're difficult to resist."

The cook let out a chuckle as he continued to sway. "So you finally admit it. I knew you were another victim of my irresistible charm. Just took a while for your marimo brain realize it."

Dark eyes rolled sarcastically at the arrogant bravado that made a full come back. "Yeah yeah. Whatever. You haven't swooned me yet, so don't get ahead of yourself."

"Yet~!" Sanji repeated on a musical tone as he held on tighter. "I'll have you swooning in due time."

"Uh huh. I'll remember that when you're moaning out my name." Zoro countered on a soft growl. He trailed his lips lower to gently bite at that pale neck. The sudden intake of breath that followed paired with the way those steady hands clutched tighter at his shirt made Zoro smirk. He repeated the act, this time suckling on that salty skin and enjoying the taste of it.

A quiet moan left Sanji as he tilted his head a bit. Offering up more of his neck to that contact. "Mmm.. The moment I'm able.. I'm so owning you."

Zoro gave a throaty chuckle as he covered the light bruise he had made with soothing licks. "You're welcome to try."

"Pfft. I'm gonna do it."

"Are not."

"Are too."

"Not."

"Too."

"Dartboard."

"Meat head."

"Want to keep me company for the rest of my watch?"

"Sure."

_fjfjfjfjfjfjfjfj_

TBC

I think it's a tie.

Later~


	16. What drives you

Girl talk.

Enjoy~

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Chapter 16

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"You know... I'm not sure if I find whatever is going on between Sanji and Zoro disturbing or cute."

Robin glanced up from her book on hearing those words. She looked over at the redhead working diligently at her desk in their cabin. "Well, I suppose you could consider it cutely disturbing or disturbingly cute." she offered lightly.

Pausing as she registered what was said, Nami looked up from the map she was working on and gave her companion a sarcastic glare. "That doesn't help."

The older woman gave a soft giggle and a slight shrug. "I think it's sweet. I saw them holding one another during Zoro's watch last night. They looked very content." She could still see the barely there smiles they both wore while wrapped in each other's arms.

She tried to picture it, but the navigator just couldn't see it. "Content... Isn't a word I would use to describe either of them..." Nami admitted before returning to her work.

"Sometimes the only way to quell the fire is with fire. Some things simply... Mesh well." Robin mused as she turned a page in her book. "I'd say this situation has sobered them both up to the fact that things can happen very suddenly on this sea. The two of them share a connection on more levels than simply nakama. They share the need to protect and provide for the rest of us. Naturally with two dominate personalities like that there was bound to be conflict"

Nami paused again and frowned slightly. "That's what I don't get. It has been nothing but conflict between the both of them. Why would it suddenly change now?"

Robin closed her book on hearing the question and let it rest on her lap as she focused her attention on the young lady. "The Cook and the Swordsman..." She had mulled this over for quite a while now, so figured it was time to share what she had discovered. "Sanji and Zoro are on a different level on this ship. They're at a level of power above the rest of us, but just below Luffy. They both have their strengths and weaknesses, but they are evenly matched. They do what they can to protect the ship and crew, but when it comes down to it, they depend on each other to a higher extent than the rest of us."

The red head turned and gave the other woman a puzzled look. "What do you mean?"

"I mean they cannot operate alone." Robin could see that Nami still wasn't quite following, so decided to elaborate. "We need both of them. And they need each other. When it comes down to it, they know that. They know that while they protect the rest of us, the two of them only have each other to watch their backs. Luffy's usually at the forefront taking the brunt, but that leaves a lot of gaps to cover. We each do our part, but Sanji and Zoro... They make certain they take on whatever the captain cannot. What the rest of us cannot. It's a silent understanding that's been there since they first met, I'm sure."

She reached over to the table beside her and picked up her cup of coffee. "But that also means they have to protect one another even more fiercely." She took a moment to sip at her coffee and gave a soft sigh. "Hm.. I believe they understand now just how much they truly need each other."

"I've... Never thought of it like that..." Nami mumbled with a thoughtful expression. But it soon fell into a frown. "But... Sanji-kun's worried that he won't be able to keep up with Zoro... That his body has limits, and it's only a matter of time before he won't be able to.."

Robin gave a soft giggle and shook her head. "Sanji doesn't have enough confidence in himself. He's no where near reaching his full potential. None of you are. If anything, I'm certain Sanji's the strongest person on this ship."

That had Nami tilting her head in confusion. "Sanji-kun is? What about Zoro and Luffy?"

A smile curled Robin's lips. "Luffy has devils fruit powers and Zoro wields three swords. Sanji fights under his own natural power. Has nothing but himself to block any attack or retaliate. If we went with pure physical strength and endurance without any outside help, I believe Sanji would be on a different standing."

When it was placed in that perspective, Nami was smiling as she nodded. "That psycho is already on different standing."

"Indeed."

"So think they'll get all lovey dovey?"

"We can only hope. That would be most entertaining."

"Heh. So Robin-neechan is a perv too."

"You wouldn't watch?"

"Erm.. Oh look, my map's not done. I best get back to that."

"Hm, that's what I thought."

_fjfjfjfj_

"Chopper..? What are you sniffing at?"

"Yeah, and why are you on my special seat?_!_"

Ignoring his captain's irritated tone, Chopper kept sniffing at the scents that were carried on the breeze. "I.. I smell something in the air... Smells familiar..."

"Is it food? Is Sanji cooking again?_!_" Luffy asked as he eagerly bounced from foot to foot.

"No, it's not food... It smells like.. Gunpowder and mechanical oil..."

A heavy pout immediately fell over the captain's face as he turned to sulk away. "Aww man.. Why can't you ever point me to food.." he muttered grumpily.

Rolling his eyes at the predictable behavior, Zoro looked back to the little doctor. "Isn't that how Usopp smells half the time?"

"Yeah, but this is different.. It's a higher quality. Stronger... Reminds me of a... Eeep!" Chopper immediately clamped his little hooves over his blue nose as his eyes grew wide.

Zoro frowned in concern as he looked to Chopper seriously. "What is it..?"

The reindeer looked up to the swordsman, suddenly very uneasy. "It.. It smells like a battleship..."

Dark eyes narrowed sharply before Zoro shot his attention over to his captain. "Luffy! Get Usopp's telescope and get to the tops of the trees! See if you can spot any marines heading this direction!"

"Yosh! Oi! Usopp! Gimme your telescopey thingie!" Luffy ordered as he charged off below deck to hunt down the sniper.

As Luffy ran off, Chopper looked back to Zoro nervously. "What if they are heading this way..? Aren't we trapped in an area this small?"

The swordsman glanced around to the rock formations and the thick woods that hid them from sight. "Maybe... Maybe not. They have to find us first."

"So if we can stay hidden we'll be okay?" Chopper asked hopefully.

"We need to find out what they're doing first."

The pair at the bow glanced back to see Nami approach with a look of concentration on her face.

"If they got advice from the locals, I would guess they're heading inland to avoid the storms. That or they heard we were here." Zoro stated as he briefly glanced up towards the closed Galley door.

Sanji was still too injured to handle a direct attack, so that meant keeping out of the line of fire. The idiot blond would ignore all warnings of his own health and try to help out anyway. Zoro knew it would only piss Sanji off, but he wasn't going to allow that self sacrificing bastard to get away with that as easily anymore.

Nami turned her attention towards the small tributary they were anchored on and looked further ahead to where the sounds of the river could be heard. "True.. We'll risk drawing attention to ourselves if we act too hastily..."

"I've got it~!"

Soon Luffy was bounding up the steps from below deck. Telescope in hand, the moment Luffy was on deck he shot out his right hand for the tallest tree he could spot. The moment his hand connected with tree trunk, the rubberman was launched off the ship and drug up into the trees. He hadn't been able to reach all the way to the top, so, once he was clinging to the tree trunk, Luffy placed the telescope casing between his teeth and started to climb. Within a few seconds his head was popping out from the tree canopy and looking around for any sign of the ship.

Telescope up, Luffy turned towards the ocean. At first he couldn't spot anything other than the dark clouds that hovered around the coast in the distance, but soon he caught sight of several white and blue uniforms moving along the banks of the river. "Eh..? What are they doing..?" Now that he focused on them, he saw that each of them were carrying heavy backpacks. "Camping...? Hrm..." Pulling the telescope down, Luffy frowned, quite puzzled.

His head ducked down under the leaves once more and he soon was hurrying his way back down the tree. Once he was close enough, his hand shot back out and grabbed hold of Merry's crow's nest. Slung back aboard the ship, he landed hard in the crow's nest. Causing a loud grunt from him and making the entire ship rock on the water.

"...Ow..." came the slight groan from where the captain's face smashed against the mainmast.

The rocking of the ship was enough to lure out Sanji from the galley where he had been taking inventory. "Oi oi... What's going on?" he called out with a frown.

Zoro's gaze immediately fixed on the blond.

He fought with his first impulse to lie. To insist everything was fine so Sanji wouldn't have to think of the potential threat. But he couldn't and wouldn't do that to his nakama.

"Chopper caught the scent of a battle ship." he shifted his attention to the crow's nest and frowned. "Oi! Luffy! What did you see?"

Prying his face from the mast, Luffy shook his head for a moment before looking over the edge of the crow's nest. "There's a whole buncha marines walking along the river bank! They've all got big backpacks. Looks like they're camping!"

"Camping..?" Sanji repeated with a raised brow as he walked down the stairs to join them on the main deck.

"It makes sense, really." Nami stated as she pulled out the area map from her shorts pocket. "A battle ship can't make it up the river like Merry can. Since the storms are still hitting the coast, that means the neighboring villages are too dangerous to place that many troops at. The only option they really have is march inland and camp out until the storms have passed." she explained as she looked for any routes they could use to get out of the area unseen.

"Then what should we do? If they're moving along the riverbanks, won't they spot us..?" Chopper asked, the worry thick in his voice as he kept giving quick glances towards Sanji. Sanji was still far too pale. It was clear he was still weak from the loss of blood, but the cook managed to pull off a steady posture despite the pain he was still in.

Sanji was fully aware of the worried glances that the others were giving him, but he didn't comment on it. Instead he focused on their situation as he reached for his cigarettes in his pants pocket. "If they're loaded down, then maybe our best bet would be to make to the path more treacherous." he offered before lighting up.

That had them looking to the cook curiously. "What do you mean, Sanji-kun?" Nami questioned with a tilt of her head.

Letting out the smoke from his lungs slowly, Sanji motioned to the woods around them. "Since the storms are supposed to last for a while longer, they're more than likely each loaded up with the supplies to last that long. Plus with the ship being too big to easily maneuver within the harsh storms, it may be worth considering that they could also be carrying any important items that they don't want to get damaged in the storm. Official documents, weapons, that sort of thing." Sanji took another drag before he continued. "In short, they're weighted down. And the more difficult the terrain, the less likely they'll attempt to head further."

When it was explained like that, the situation suddenly changed. "Sanji-kun.. That.. That's brilliant!" Nami turned towards Zoro and pointed at him. "Zoro, take Luffy, Usopp and Chopper into the forests ahead of the marines. Make as big of a mess as you can without getting caught."

Zoro was smirking at those orders and looked to Chopper. "Go get Usopp."

"Right!" Chopper was immediately heading below deck to fetch the sniper.

"I'll start plotting a course incase we need to make a quick escape." Nami announced as she headed for the galley.

"Hahaha! That is gonna be fun~!" Luffy laughed eagerly as he hopped around, still in the crow's nest.

The swordsman glanced up at his captain and snorted in amusement, but another plume of smoke drew his attention to the blond standing next to him. Sanji was once more in that casual stance he managed to pull off so well even when he was covered with bandages. Half lidded eyes staring off into the distance.

"Sanji, I.."

"I know, you don't have to say it. I'm not in good enough shape to handle any serious conflict." Sanji said easily before taking another drag. He held it in deep and blew a few smoke rings. He then glanced over at the moss head and gave a slight smirk as he reached over to give a light slap to the tan cheek. "I won't be there to bail your ass out of trouble, so don't do anything stupid."

Zoro was soon mirroring the smirk as he reached up and placed his hand over the pale one still resting on his cheek. "I'll try to get by without your guiding shit mouthed wisdom."

"You better." Sanji snorted. He then leaned in, uncaring of the fact their captain was watching them with a wide grin up above. His lips barely brushed over Zoro's as he whispered against them. "Be careful."

"I will." Zoro readily answered. He closed the space between them to capture the cook's lips in a tender, yet reassuring kiss.

Sanji let out a soft pleased hum once he tasted Zoro's lips again. It was a taste he was beginning to like more and more, but now wasn't the time to indulge. He pulled away from the swordsman and smiled at the dark eyes watching him. "I'll have some onigiri waiting for you when you get back."

That had Zoro nearly grinning. "I'll be sure to work fast then." He then looked up to Luffy who was doing a poor job of acting like he hadn't been watching them. "Oi! Luffy, you ready?"

"Yesss~! Usopp! Chopper! Hurry up!" Luffy demanded as he finally hopped down from the crow's nest.

He landed near Zoro surprisingly light footed and folded his hands behind his head. Glancing at the two, Luffy merely smiled and said nothing. He couldn't be happier that things were finally better. Perhaps better than ever now that the heart and soul of his nakama had discovered where they stood with each other. His confidence in his crew soared to a new height.

"Usopp! Hurry the hell up!"

His patience with them stayed the same.

"I'm coming, dammit!" Usopp snapped as he was being pushed by Chopper.

The moment the doctor and the sniper were on deck, Luffy raised his hands in the air excitedly. "Yosh~! Let's get going! Lead the way, Chopper!"

"Got it!" Soon Chopper was transformed into his Walking point, and the reindeer leapt off the ship and onto the bank of the tributary.

Usopp and Luffy soon followed, but Zoro only hesitated for a second. Glancing back at Sanji with an unspoken concern in his eyes. When Sanji gave a smile and nodded, Zoro's lips pulled upwards a bit before he headed off.

The cook watched silently as the four headed off into the woods to stop the advancing marines. Once they disappeared into the trees, Sanji let out the deep breath he had been holding and frowned slightly.

"Worried..?"

Sanji glanced back to see Robin approaching him. "Not really. More annoyed I can't be of much use."

The older woman gave a soft hum as she delicately folded her hands behind her back. "You're usefulness isn't limited to your ability to fight, Cook-san. You take care of all of us to the same degree and passion that Doctor-san does." She gave a slight nod of her head towards the trees in front of them. "Navigator-san told me of your idea moments ago of how to keep the Marines away. You've got a very strategic mind. I have noticed on more than one occasion you using that tactical wit to give this crew every advantage it can get. I doubt you'll ever be considered as not much use." Robin stated calmly.

It wasn't often that Robin spoke this much, but Sanji always made a point to treat the woman's opinions seriously and with respect. The fact she was saying such things about him...

A faint blush tinted Sanji's cheeks as he looked away in a bit of embarrassment. "I.. Don't know how to respond to that..." He rubbed at the back of his neck, struggling with his words.

That bit of shyness had Robin smiling brightly. "You don't have to say a thing."

Sanji blushed a bit brighter when caught by that smile. "Eee.. Robin-chan is far too kind..." Coughing slightly, Sanji tried to regain some of his composure. He turned to face the tall woman and attempted his most charming smile. "Well, since I'm otherwise restricted to the ship, would you like some coffee and sandwiches, Robin-chan?"

Seeing that smile pleased her, so Robin easily nodded. "I would love that, Cook-san."

"Yosh~! I'll have it ready for you in no time, Robin-chwan~!" Sanji sang out happily as he headed for the galley. His movements notably smoother without that hitch of pain.

As she watched the cook, Robin hummed softly. "I don't understand what drives you, Sanji..." Her expression softened into a gentle, yet wistful smile.

"But whatever it is... I envy it greatly."

_fjfjfjfjfjfjfjfj_

TBC

Sometimes those that feel the weakest are the ones that are looked up to the most.

Later~


	17. Couple

The Marines go marching one by one, the little one stops to suck his thumb, and they all go marching down to the ground to get out of the rain.

Enjoy~

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Chapter 17

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Loud crashes and earth shaking rumbling were heard as the storms along the coast began growing more intense. The horizon was almost black to the east of the island. Ominous clouds churned and boiled as it seemed to be creeping its way slowly inland. The lightning crackled and lashed out savagely. It seemed as if the bolts struck out increasingly frequent. Barely a second passed without more deafening thunder roaring through the air.

Sounds of marching orders being called out amongst the ranks of the countless marines around the river persisted. Keep heading inland. Place as much distance as possible between the storm and themselves.

However the more they kept marching...

The rougher the terrain became.

Trees toppled over, some split right in two. Large crevasses that split the ground. Entire rocky hills broken apart. Unstable earth that for some reason gave way around the edge of the river banks. It was like a storm had already blown through the area and devastated everything in sight.

Their progress along the river slowed to an inching crawl the further they tried to move. It was tiring the men out quickly, and proving increasingly dangerous. After some of the men were injured trying to find a secure way across an unstable ledge along another deep split in the earth, it couldn't be helped. They had to make camp for the night.

The sight couldn't have been sweeter for one sniper. "They've stopped!" Usopp called down from his perch atop a tall tree. He had been keeping a close eye on the advancing marines, giving signals to Zoro on the ground below him and to Luffy and Chopper causing their own havoc across the river.

Stopping in his motions from where he had been slashing the thick trees left and right, Zoro looked up to the marksman. "Are they sending out scouts?" he asked before kicking over a boulder he had cut in two earlier. It landed with a loud and satisfying rumble. He would have preferred fighting an actual enemy, but it had been good for him to let out a bit of the bottled up stress he had been holding back.

Plus he got to fuck up shit and not get yelled at. That was always a good day in Zoro's book.

"It doesn't look like it.. I think they're making camp for the night!" Usopp informed the swordsman as he began searching through his bag.

"Then it worked." Zoro sheathed his swords and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.

They had been fabricating their own natural disaster for roughly an hour now. It was something they had to make gradual so it would tire out the marines, preventing them from pressing further. They couldn't make it look too deliberate. It had to look convincing to stop any suspicion and buy them more time.

After looking over their work for a moment, Zoro focused back on Usopp. "Give the signal to Chopper and Luffy on the other side. We can start heading back."

"Yosh!" Usopp shifted on his perch on the branch and held up his slingshot. He fired off one of his tabasco stars and struck a tree near where the captain and the doctor were causing mass chaos.

It wasn't long before Chopper stopped when he caught the scent of the tabasco sauce in the air.

"Luffy! Usopp's calling us back!" Chopper called out as he popped from his heavypoint to brainpoint.

"Yosh! Come on!"

Moments later the little doctor was clutching tight to Luffy as the rubber man shot them across the river.

Chopper, being the smart little doctor he was, hopped off his captain just in time to avoid slamming face first against a tree.

On seeing that, Zoro raised a brow and looked at the little reindeer approaching him. "That's something I need to try..." he mused as he watched Luffy struggling to pull his head free from the tree.

Chopper readily nodded. "It would make my job easier if you all did. So have they stopped?"

"According to Usopp they're breaking for camp. We should head back and see if Nami's found us a way out." Zoro headed over to where Usopp was now trying to help Luffy pry his head free from a knothole in the tree. Grabbing the back of his captain's neck, Zoro gave a sharp tug.

For some reason the sound that came from the raven head pulling free was a strange cork popping noise. Zoro held up his captain by the back of his shirt and fixed a bland stare on him. When Luffy replied with a wide snickering grin to his first mate, Zoro rolled his eyes and sat the rubber idiot on the ground. "Let's get going."

"Zoro, the ship's the other way..."

"...I know that..."

_fjfjfj_

"Sanji-kun, please sit down. You're making me nervous."

"Ah.." Sanji paused in his pacing and fiddled absently with the buttons of his blue floral print shirt. "I'm sorry, Nami-san... I'm.. Just getting a bad feeling..." Sanji muttered as he forced himself to sit down at the dining table where the navigator was working.

The reply had Nami looking up from the course she was plotting to look at the faintly fidgeting cook seated across from her. Her brown eyes narrowed slightly as something suddenly occurred to her. ".. You're sensitive to the weather changes too..."

Sanji suddenly grew still on the statement and glanced up at the firm look that was fixed on him. "Yes... I've spent almost my entire life at sea... You sort of develop a sixth sense for its changes."

Nami smiled and nodded. "That's why I know I can count on you, Sanji-kun. You're the one that has the most experience at sea. I'm guessing you're feeling the air pressure changing."

The blond nodded as he leaned against the table. "The temperature is shifting too... Does that mean the storm is going to start heading inland?"

"It's seeming that way. We need to head further. Secure Merry and head for higher ground again. It's just too dangerous around the water right now." Nami adjusted her glasses and returned her attention to the map. "I think I've found a better place for us a bit further up the river. I think we'll be able to anchor Merry there safely while we head for the higher ground. It's looking like there may be caves in that area, so we'll have potential shelter."

Sanji looked at the map curiously. "Should I prepare rations if we have to hold up in those caves for a while?"

The redhead nodded. "That'd be smart to have ready. We could very well be stuck for a day or two. The storm systems seem to be building up force with each one."

"So it will get worse before it gets better..." Sanji frowned deeply before getting up. He headed towards the fridge to begin taking of stock of how much he could use for quick rations. "How much longer will the storms be going?"

"From what we've heard from the locals, they last a couple of weeks. One week has gone by, so we've got another ahead of us."

"Another week... Damn... Luffy's not gonna be happy. I'm going to have to cut back on his intake." Sanji mumbled while he went about gathering up everything he would need to start cooking. Chopper may nag him, but there was no getting around this. They had to be prepared.

"He'll live. Just promise him a party once you're better and he'll attempt to act like he has some self control." Nami answered while marking out their route in red.

Sanji couldn't help the laugh that left him on hearing that. He glanced back over his shoulder and smiled at the navigator. "Nami-swan is so cute when she's unrealistically optimistic~" he cooed out.

A slight pout formed over Nami's face at the teasing, and she responded by sticking her tongue out at the cook. When the blond flashed a beaming smile, she rolled her brown eyes sarcastically in a weak attempt to hide the smile tugging at her own lips.

Things were getting back to normal.

"Naaamiiii!_!_"

Luffy's voice broke the pair in the galley from their work, and soon they both were moving out to watch their nakama returning to the ship.

"Did it work?" Nami asked as she took hold of the railing in front of the galley door.

"Just like Sanji predicted!" Usopp answered as he and the others jumped back on deck. "All the Marines have stopped to make camp. We should be able to head up the river without being seen."

"Have you found where we can go, Nami?" Chopper asked hopefully as he made his way up the steps to the pair in front of the galley.

The redhead easily nodded. "I have. There are some caves on higher ground we can hide out in to wait out the storms. We just have to secure Merry further up river and we'll be set. Everyone should pack what they can to last us a few days. Sanji's going to prepare rations for all of us."

"Yosh! Pirate bento~!" Luffy immediately cheered.

Chopper was giving the cook a pouting scowl and pointed at him when he reached the top of the stairs. "You're supposed to be resting, dammit!"

Sanji gave a lopsided grin and offered a light shrug. "Sorry, Chopper. I'll pack another candied apple in your bento."

Though he wanted to argue, the promise of another candied apple weakened Chopper's resolve. "Grr... Fine! But I want to change your bandages and check over your back before you do. No arguing!" he stated as menacingly as his squeaky voice would allow.

Hands raised in surrender, the cook chuckled and followed when Chopper began pulling the leg of his cargo shorts back into the galley. "Okay, Okay.. No arguing."

The scene had Nami smiling as she glanced over to the silent swordsman. When he looked in her direction she smirked and gave him a sly wink while motioning for him to go into the galley.

Zoro quirked up a brow high at the gesture. The rest of their nakama was taking this development between him and the cook very... Interestingly.

He never thought there would be an issue, but he also didn't expect them to be so interested in it. It was weird. Really weird.

Scratching lightly at the back of his head, Zoro found himself climbing up the stairs to face the navigator. "That's not exactly the most subtle thing I've ever seen you do." he commented dryly as he drew closer.

Nami gave an amused little hum and shrugged. "Sanji always said subtle wasn't your strong suit. Now go in there and keep him company while Chopper nags him."

A bland expression formed over Zoro's tan features at the somewhat order. "I'm not going to hold his hand."

"Why not?" Nami asked with a little pout.

"Because he doesn't need me to." was Zoro's simple answer.

The woman huffed a bit and folded her arms over her ample chest. "But it would be all cute and couple-y."

That earned an expression that silently questioned the woman's sanity. "Couple-y...?" the swordsman repeated slowly.

For some reason Nami nodded eagerly. "Yeah! I've decided that the two of you make a cute couple. You should act more like it."

Zoro just stared at her for a moment.

A long moment.

Eventually Zoro moved to the still open door to the galley and looked at the blond on the futon getting his bandages carefully taken off. "Oi, Cook. We a couple?"

Sanji looked away from what Chopper was doing and stared blankly at the swordsman. "Eh...?"

Zoro gestured to the woman behind him. "Nami said we're a cute couple."

A strange, yet comical look of disbelief fell over Sanji's face as his visible eye twitched hard. "If you start getting sappy on me I'll kick your fuckin ass, Marimo."

"Sanji! Stay still!" Chopper growled, jabbing the cook in the side.

"Ow! That hurt!"

"Then stop moving, asshole!"

A snort of amusement left Zoro at the glaring match between the doctor and the cook before glancing back at the navigator. "Oh yeah, he's smitten."

"I'll smite you, fucker! Ow! Fuckin hell, Chopper!"

"Don't make me sedate you, bastard!"

At that Nami gave another little pout. "But you're supposed to be nicer to each other now! You know, all romantic and stuff."

"Nami-saaan! You're killing meee! How am I supposed to woo a moss ball?" Sanji whined while trying to hold still to avoid more doctor abuse.

"Like I'd tolerate all that fluffy shit anyway." Zoro answered dryly. He pointed at the blond and gave a flat stare. "First floaty heart I see, I'm chucking you overboard."

"Pfft. Like I'd waste my breath trying to pamper you. Moss is supposed to be fluffy, but you're more like a cactus than moss. All prickly." Sanji shot back, sticking out his tongue at the swordsman.

Though they were shooting off their mouths to one another, if anyone bothered to look there was a mirth and amusement poorly hidden behind their expressions and tones. This was part of their relationship. The fights and insults. The digs and complaints.

It felt good to have that part back again.

Another step towards fixing the rift between them.

Still pouting, Nami tilted her head in confusion. "So.. You're not a couple..?"

"... Couple of morons..." Chopper mumbled quietly under his breath as he tended to Sanji's back. It was starting to look better as the bruising around the large wound was gradually healing. Which was a wonder in itself with the way Sanji just refused to stay still. Sometimes he wondered why he was the doctor of a crew that kept ignoring doctor's orders.

For some reason Nami's question made Sanji chuckle. "Does it really matter, Nami-san?"

When the simple question was posed, Nami glanced over to Zoro. There the swordsman only offered a careless shrug. This only annoyed her further. "Gah! You two are frustrating even when you agree!" She then swatted at Zoro's arm hard. "Go raise the damn anchor!"

Shooting a glare at the woman as she stormed off grumbling something about not getting a good show, Zoro rolled his eyes and pushed away from the door frame. He glanced back at Sanji and raised a brow when the cook smirked at him before playfully sticking out his tongue again. A soft smirk of his own tugged at his lips as he turned away to head for the anchor.

"Ow! What the fuck did I do that time?_!_"

"You looked too happy."

"That's not a good reason!"

Zoro couldn't stop the laughter that immediately followed.

He was happy too.

_fjfjfjfjfjfjfjfjfj_

TBC

As long as there is happiness, little else matters.

Later~


	18. Tell me

Looking for safe haven.

Enjoy

_fjfjfjfjfjfjfjfj_

Chapter 18

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"I don't want to leave Merry again.."

"Longnose-kun, it's the safest way. We've secured her as best we could. We need to secure ourselves now."

"How much further is it, Nami?"

"Just up this ridge. We'll look for a stable cave and camp out there until it's safe."

"Are we gonna have enough food?"

"We will if you don't eat it all, idiot."

The climb up the rocky hills to the caves was a bit tedious.

Robin was at the front of their procession. Using a few extra hands and eyes to find the most stable path up to the caves. Leading the others up slowly.

Nami was close behind her. Hey eyes were constantly shifting from the sky to the river and back again. Keeping watch over the storm's progression as it seemed to slowly roll further inland.

Luffy was trying his best to keep Usopp calm about leaving Merry behind again. He didn't like it either, but tried to keep the mood light by babbling out his usual food related nonsense.

The sniper still didn't seem thrilled about going through this again. His attention kept looking back towards the direction Merry was anchored. The trees blocking her from sight. Not being able to see the ship made his anxiety grow, but it was apparent there was little choice at this point.

Chopper was sticking close to Sanji. He was trying his best not to seem overly concerned about the cook. Still, he was worried that this was too much activity too soon for his injured nakama. Not that the lunatics he called nakama listened to him about too much activity after being wounded. So it was clear the little doctor was watching the injured cook like a hawk.

Zoro was lagging a few paces behind everyone. Watching their backs while making sure no one lost their footing while going up the steep hill.

Though he was watching all of them, Zoro's eyes lingered every time they focused on Sanji. He could tell that the cook was getting a bit better, but the hitches in his movements proved that the blond was still recovering. Luckily Zoro had little to worry when the cook's hands and feet were steady as always. Sanji would be fine even on this rough terrain as long as he kept going slow. The swordsman knew to let the cook tackle this without help. He trusted Sanji to know his limits now.

The progress was slow, but they were still going at a steady pace.

The slow pace was mainly for Sanji. To make sure the cook didn't strain himself trying to move too fast. Sanji knew it, but he didn't comment on it. He knew he couldn't bluff his way around it like he usually did, so he resigned himself to being the invalid for now. No point making himself worse by forcing himself to feel okay. He had learned the hard way what a shitty idea that was.

Within a another half hour, the crew finally reached the area Nami had found. They quickly split up and began searching the various caves hidden around the area for something that would suit their needs. There were numerous caves of various sizes, mostly with very sketchy stability. They needed something that would be able to hold up against the strength of the storm that was heading towards them.

"Oi! Everyone! I think I found one!"

The others were quick to gather around the cave where Usopp had yelled from. The mouth of the cave was tall and wide and had thick vines growing along the rocks around it. The outside at least looked strong.

The sniper soon hopped out of the cave entrance grinning wide. "It's dry and sturdy. There's enough room for all of us, and it's away from where the winds are blowing. Come on! It's pretty cool!" he seemed to chirp. His new discovery brightening his mood a bit.

On stepping inside the cave everyone was impressed with just how large it was. The ceiling was high and solid, and the floor of the cave was surprisingly level. They would all be able to set out their blankets and sleeping bags comfortably here. It was hard to tell how far back the caves went due to the darkness, but that was something that could be explored later. For the moment it appeared to suit their needs.

Luffy was whistling before patting his sniper on the back, clearly impressed with his nakama's find. "Awesome, Usopp! This is perfect! Alright, everyone. We camp here! Zoro! Chopper! Start gathering the firewood!" he ordered with a wide grin.

Nami immediately punched the back of the captain's rubber head the moment she recognized that idiotic grin. "Dumb ass! Don't be planning one of your bonfires again! They may have been stopped, but the marines are still out there! We don't need to give them a reason to snoop around!" she growled flatly. She then pointed at Zoro, ignoring Luffy's whiny pout as the rubber man clutched at the back of his head. "Get enough for a regular camp fire. Chopper, make sure he doesn't get lost."

Zoro shot a glare at the woman. He was a bout to make a sarcastic remark, but when Chopper readily bounded up next to him looking all bright eyed and eager, Zoro sighed and went with it. "Alright, let's get started." he conceded. He followed without a word when the doctor headed towards some dry brush to use as kindling.

As they started pulling up the brush, Chopper glanced up at Zoro for a moment. There was an obvious question in his eyes, but he seemed hesitant to ask. When Zoro seemed to glance towards him, he quickly averted his gaze and tried to focus on what they were supposed to be doing. But the young doctor was very bad at hiding things.

The longer they worked, the more Zoro knew Chopper wanted something. The reindeer seemed tense, his movements stiff. He waited to see if Chopper would ask on his own, but when the doctor proved to be too timid , Zoro decided to start. "Something on your mind, Chopper?"

Dropping some of the brush, it took a bit of control to keep from squeaking when Chopper saw he was caught. Eventually, he looked hesitantly at Zoro, an uncertain look in his eyes. "I... I've been thinking..." He glanced back to see the others were all checking out the cave. Satisfied they wouldn't hear him, Chopper turned his attention back to Zoro. "I don't really understand humans... Why they do the things they do... But this whole thing has me confused even more..."

"Heh.. I'm pretty sure it has had everyone confused, but go ahead and tell me what you think." Zoro offered as he tucked the brush in the crook of his arms and motioned for the reindeer to lead them on. It wasn't that surprising Chopper didn't understand since his contact with humans was so limited before he joined the crew.

Chopper went along with it and began idly looking for firewood as he spoke. "You and Sanji always fought... You would try to attack each other, but never went too far... But you also didn't hold back. You both never really seemed to care even though I noticed you both looking out for each other... You two have always been..." He paused the think of the right word. "Contrary."

That had Zoro pause himself as he considered those words. "... So you think we always looked out for each other?"

"Well yeah. I've seen it a lot." Chopper readily replied. "You look around when he isn't there. You get tense and look a bit pissed... But whenever Sanji shows up in the nick of time, you always smirk like you know he would show up, and suddenly the tension's gone. Sanji does the same thing... And whenever one of you takes a big hit, the other always stops what they're doing to make the other gets back up." he easily listed off as he picked up a few sticks from the ground.

The fact the doctor was able to list them off was a bit surprising to Zoro. He knew he had done that, but he didn't know Sanji did the same. _'I shouldn't be surprised.. He's always had my back even though I never knew it.'_ Zoro hummed thoughtfully to himself as he continued to follow. "I can understand how that alone can be confusing."

Chopper hopped atop a rock they were passing and balanced a bit across it. "This entire crew is confusing... The fact Sanji goes all crazy over the girls when it's you he really wants to be with is beyond me. I don't get human emotions."

"What makes you think it's only me he wants to be with?" Zoro questioned as he took up a broken and dried branch from the ground. He and Sanji never said anything about being bound to each other exclusively. In fact they hadn't discussed anything specific of exactly what they were doing.

Though...

Zoro wasn't certain he was keen on the idea of having to share. In fact he was pretty sure it would piss him off rather quickly.

"Body language." Chopper answered with a sure tone. "Sanji doesn't really keep eye contact with the girls. He does with you. The way he stands close to you. He likes chasing the girls, but he's always so easily brushed off. It's like Sanji doesn't care if he fails, he's just playing. He doesn't let you brush him off though. He confronts you because what you do and think matters to him."

For some reason hearing that pulled a bit of a smile over Zoro's lips. "Really..."

"Yup." Chopper hopped down off the rock and turned to point at Zoro. "You've only had eyes on Sanji. You're always watching him. At first I thought you were sizing him up like competition, but then I saw how you always baited him."

"Baited him..?" This was strange. Zoro was a bit perplexed that the little doctor was making so many observations. So many rather accurate observations. _'Why.. Haven't I noticed this before...?'_

Chopper readily nodded. "Yes, whenever Sanji's acting all silly over the girls you'll tease or mock him to get his attention away from them. To make him focus on you. You've both been going about it in a very strange way to get the other to notice you. But that's not what's been confusing me the most."

"What is it then?"

A sad frown suddenly pulled over the doctor's face as he looked up at his nakama. "Why... Did it take something so horrible to make the two of you realize that you really cared..?"

The question had Zoro's eyes widen a bit as a strange ache tried to form in his chest. After a quiet moment Zoro let out a heavy breath and placed his hand atop the pink hat. "Sometimes... It takes a bad experience to make you understand and appreciate what you have. When you're faced with losing something, all your reasons for holding back seem like a waist of time..." He frowned when he wasn't sure if that made sense. "I suppose it's just a human thing. I can't really explain it any better than that."

His expression turned a bit thoughtful as Chopper tried to understand. "I see... Humans are weird..."

Zoro couldn't help the chuckle that left him as he found himself nodding. "I doubt me and the cook are the best examples of our species you should be looking at."

"But other humans seem so boring... They're not as fun as you and Sanji and the others."

"I'm pretty certain we're all crazy."

"But it's a good kind of crazy."

"Sanji calls you reserve food."

"He promised only to eat me if I stopped being a good doctor."

Zoro stared a bit at that before a snort left him. "Heh.. Yeah, that sounds like something that freak would say. Come on, let's get the rest of that fire wood."

"Yosh!"

_fjfjfj_

The rest of the day proceeded somewhat normally.

Well...

As normal as they were used to.

Luffy dragged a complaining Usopp further into the caves to explore. His cackling laughter and Usopp's screaming cries of fake agony could be heard for a good few hours. The noises accompanied by some crumbling rock and the familiar sound of rubber snapping back into place.

On their return, Usopp claimed he was almost swallowed whole by a giant man eating toad. A toad which was riding atop Luffy's hat, which quickly became their new best friend as they chased the little green reptile all over the cave.

Nami was keeping herself busy with studying the map of the island. Mentally comparing it to all the things she had seen and seeing where anything had changed or had been incorrectly recorded. All the while keeping an eye on the dark clouds that were creeping their way inland. It looked like something serious was brewing with this storm. She was calculating it would be on top of them tomorrow at midday since it was moving so slow.

Robin was her usual quiet self, reading by the light of their camp fire. Chopper seemed to have taken an interest in the book she was reading. Trying to peek as best he could at the pages, but the big pink hat made his not so stealthy glances a bit obvious. It wasn't long before Robin coaxed the small doctor sit in her lap. Once Chopper went through his usual timid denial fit, he gave in to her soft smile and was soon perched on her knee. They read quietly together to pass the time.

Zoro watched all of them from his place propped up against the cave wall. Arms folded behind his head, katana propped up against the stone next to him. He looked to be in his typical napping pose, but he was far from asleep. He had a lot to think about after his talk with Chopper. It was still a bit baffling. All those things easily spotted by the reindeer that were completely oblivious to him and Sanji.

'_He did say it was body language... Animals communicate more by body language than anything else...'_

As he pondered over this he glanced over to the cave entrance where Sanji had stepped out a few minutes ago. It bothered him a bit how Sanji could so easily isolate himself still. Was it a need for personal space? Or something else?

He could recall watching Sanji leaving their group several times for some unknown reason. Just standing off to the side while the rest of them were together. He recalled wondering what would happen if he actually followed. What would he find?

Without giving it much thought, Zoro was standing up. He quietly headed towards the cave entrance to finally see for himself.

Outside perched on a flat rock over looking the river, Sanji had his knees drawn up to his chest. His left arm was wrapped around his knees loosely while he was slowly smoking with his right hand. Half lidded eyes fixed on the horizon like always. Following the lightning as it light up the late evening sky.

The pain and itching was becoming just a nagging irritant that he was able to better ignore. He was able to focus more on his thoughts. That alone placed him at ease. He had been frustrated that the pain was dominating everything in his head. He hadn't been able to think straight or get a moment's rest, which spurred his rapid decline before. He knew he had done it to himself too for not seeking help.

It briefly made him think of an old story of an angry lion with a thorn in its paw. A pain the lion couldn't stop provoked the lion into a rage. Making all the other animals flee in its path.

All but a single one...

"Hey."

Sanji didn't glance back on hearing the voice, but a light smile tugged at his lips. "Hey." He didn't move when a pair of warm hands settled on his shoulders. If anything he leaned towards them a bit. "I figured you'd be napping by now."

"I considered it, but didn't seem wise while Luffy and Usopp were playing leapfrog with that toad they found. Wasn't keen on the idea of getting a wake up call from a toad on my face or a Luffy landing on me." Zoro answered as he looked out towards the clouds as well. The lightning almost looking like a spider web as it branched out across the sky.

"Heh. Wise, no. Funny, yes." Sanji teased before taking another drag from his cigarette.

He held it for a moment before casually blowing out a few smoke rings into the air. As he watched them lazily float along with the breeze that had kicked up, Sanji let out a soft hum. "Think I should quit smoking?"

It was a bit of a random question, but Zoro really didn't think about it. "Do you want to quit?"

"Not really."

"Then don't."

That answer had Sanji's smile twitching a bit wider. "Alright."

Another silence settled around them, but it was comfortable. Zoro shifted his gaze to look at the blond. This time he really looked at him. Taking into consideration all the things Chopper had told him earlier. After a moment Zoro was beginning to understand.

'_These feelings... Were always there...'_

He still wondered if it was the same for Sanji, but he wasn't going to ask. Things like that didn't really matter at this point. What mattered was what they had in the moment. At this moment it felt pretty nice. Comfortable. Zoro liked this. The fact they could be in one another's company without words. Without the need to fill the air with small talk. Without the rivalry.

Now that things were in perspective, Zoro knew this was what he had wanted. That kind of companionship.

Still...

As he took in Sanji's far away gaze towards the horizon he still wondered.

He was going to risk it again.

"Sanji..."

"Hm?"

"What do you think of when you stare out at the horizon?"

Sanji was about to take another drag from his cigarette, but paused when the question was asked. The last time Zoro asked, Sanji had just spouted out the first things that popped into his head. He hadn't thought Zoro would be all that interested.

But now...

He decided to be honest.

"... Something Zeff told me a long time ago..." He trailed off to take another deep inhale of the warm smoke. After letting it out in a slow drawn out exhale he continued. "He told me to keep looking to the horizon. Land will change... Oceans, the sky, the stars... All of them will change... But the horizon is always there no matter where you go. You can never reach the horizon. It's always in front of you. Beckoning. Teasing you with what might be beyond it." he told Zoro quietly.

The tone of Sanji's voice held a hint of nostalgia and longing. Zoro found himself leaning in to wrap his arms around Sanji. Being mindful of the wounded back, Zoro was soon settled behind the cook. Keeping a loose hold on the lean body while propping his chin on the thin left shoulder.

"What's supposed to be beyond the horizon?" Zoro asked quietly into Sanji's pale ear.

Sanji allowed the light embrace, and found himself relaxing steadily into it. "Beyond the horizon... It's just another fairytale.."

"Tell me."

"It's..." Sanji's left arm shifted so he could rest his hand over Zoro's. He held it lightly and let his eyes slip closed. "An old story from North Blue... In it Dreams are spirits that are born beyond the horizon. They come into our world and find the people that they belong to."

"Belong to?" Zoro repeated, a bit intrigued.

"Yeah. In the story it said every person is born for a specific purpose. And the Dream is that purpose."

Zoro's thoughts instantly flickered to Kuina and their shared dream. "But what about people who have the same dream?"

"There are different versions of the same kind of dream... But sometimes people can literally share the same dream. Those people are usually drawn together." Sanji answered as his fingers traced random patterns over the back of Zoro's hand.

It was surprisingly easy to talk to the swordsman about things like this. For the longest time he thought he would be called stupid for believing such fairytales. Now he was a bit ashamed of how little faith he had in his nakama.

The more Sanji spoke, the more Zoro wondered if perhaps this story had some truth to it. It made him think about questions that had been plaguing him for a while. "What if.. Something happens to one of the people that share the same dream? They can't achieve that dream anymore?"

That question pulled a thoughtful hum from Sanji. "In the story... The person that can no longer chase the dream gives their will over to the one that can. Sort of like with me and Zeff. Zeff lost his ability to chase the dream we shared.. So he made sure to teach me everything he knew so I would be able to." It had taken him a long time to realize that. And it was only now that he truly understood it.

'_Gives their will..'_ Zoro glanced back briefly towards the cave where Wadou and his other katana were resting. Hearing that... It made a few thoughts that had always nagged at him finally settle.

His shoulders relaxed a bit as he shifted his hand to catch Sanji's. He laced their fingers together and held on gently. "So.. Why do you always look to the horizon?"

Sanji easily held on to Zoro's hand in return. "The horizon is where your dream is waiting for you." The blond head tilted and lightly rested against the green one. "All Blue is waiting for me out there... Once you've accomplished your dream, you've finally caught the horizon."

"Caught the horizon.." Zoro repeated. With these new thoughts in his head he understood Sanji's drive a bit more. The fact that his nakama was sharing something this deep and personal with him honored him greatly.

He turned his head a bit and placed a light kiss to Sanji's cheek. "Mind if I watch the horizon with you?" he asked, lips brushing against the pale skin.

Sanji smiled and tightened his grip on Zoro's hand.

"I insist."

_fjfjfjfjfjfjfjfj_

TBC

Take advantage of the calm before the storm.

Later~


	19. Stay with me

Hold your breath.

Enjoy~

_fjfjfjfjfjfjfjfj_

Chapter 19

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The rains were starting to roll in with the thick black clouds that turned day into night. The storm was finally reaching the Strawhats where they were seeking shelter within the mountain caves. With it brought the sharp gusts of wind that blew, occasionally whipping around and causing a intermittent mist to enter their safe haven. That meant taking care to make sure all of the things they brought with them stayed safe and dry further in the cave.

The crew settled into work gathering what they would need around the cave. Part of it was to make certain they would be able to make a mad dash should they need to. The rest was to keep busy so they wouldn't have to think too hard on the possibility. Though none of them admitted it, the caves were their last chance at safety from the storms. There was no more higher ground. No other shelter to make a mad dash to. So they worked.

Sanji was working over a stew for everyone to keep them warm as the temperature dropped. He seemed more content after last night. Spending it sharing the horizon with Zoro made him feel.. Freer? _'I don't think that's the right word...'_ It was a puzzle that he was mildly working on as he focused on his stew. It wasn't in a hurry to solve it. He sort of liked the curious feeling it was causing him.

Luffy was busy with Nami stacking their possessions up on a higher ledge in the cave to prevent it from getting wet in case the rain was blown in. They both had noticed the nearly docile air that was around the cook and the swordsman when they returned into the cave the night before. Nami was still curious as hell on what had happened, but Luffy seemed content. Even happy for his nakama for finally confiding in one another.

Robin was assisting Sanji with the cooking, while being as subtle as she could watching the blond. Setting up a folding table while getting the bowls and silverware ready, she was mulling over how Sanji had reacted to everything. She was holding true to her previous observations, but she knew Sanji was steadily changing with this situation. Instead of that guarded air he always had with all of them, he seemed to be relaxed a bit more. _'Comfortable within his own skin...' _She knew it was pointless, but she marveled, perhaps even envied that strength to finally let go and trust.

And out to gather more firewood before the rains soaked everything were Usopp Zoro and Chopper. Nothing seemed amiss with the trio, though Usopp risked more than one disbelieving and skeptical look towards the swordsman for whatever reason.

The clashing of the lightning and rumbling of the thunder was progressively getting closer. Even though it was midday, the sky outside was an ominous black. It was placing everyone on edge, but they pressed through it and focused on their tasks.

"Will this be okay, Cook-san?"

Sanji looked up from the large pot he had suspended over the fire and smiled at the older woman's work. "Yes, Robin-chan. Thank you. Could you pass me th-!"

Sanji's question was cut off when the cave seemed to jolt and shudder all around them. Making them stumble and try desperately to keep everything from toppling over. The rock around them was still trembling when a deafening sound echoed loudly around them. It was like an explosion, making all four of them clutch at their ears from the intensity. For a tense moment, the chaos seemed as if it would never let up, but it steadily lessened until it was quiet again.

When everything was still, Nami lifted her head and glanced around. "Everyone okay..?"

"Yeah... Damn.. That sounded like it was right on top of us..." Luffy muttered with a light whistle. Even he knew when things were getting serious. This storm was not one to take lightly. The captain's eyes settled back on the entrance of the cave. "We better get the others back here." he stated while heading out.

"I'll go with you." Robin said as she took up step behind him.

The two had barely took a step outside in the drizzling rain when a voice screamed out.

"LUFFY!_!_"

Startled by the desperate cry, Sanji and Nami were quick to join the other two at the cave entrance. The moment they were outside they could see Chopper in his walking point in a flat out run towards them.

The panic clear in the reindeer's voice and pace, everyone knew something was wrong. "Chopper! What happened_?_!" Luffy called out as he ran out to meet his doctor.

Chopper skidded to a stop on the wet ground only to get behind Luffy and nudge him in the direction that he had came from. "L.. Lightning! Struck the cliff side! Zoro pushed us out of the way! He was tossed in the river! Hurry!"

The moment he understood, Luffy's eyes widened. "Go! Take us there!" the captain ordered quickly, pushing the doctor to lead them.

Chopper didn't hesitate to dash back in the direction of the cliff they had be moving along. Moving as fast as his four legs could carry him, the doctor was trying as hard as he could not to let the panic overwhelm him. Focusing on getting them there as quickly as possible.

The moment Sanji heard Zoro's name his heart nearly stopped. His mind tried to shift through a million different things that could have happened. Each notion more horrific than the last, but he pushed them all aside as followed Chopper with Luffy and the girls. Ignoring the strain the fast motions were putting on his still healing back. Ignoring the rainwater that was soaking through his clothes and bandages. _'You better be okay, you fuckin shitty ass marimo!'_ his mind growled, focusing on being angry so there would be no room for fear.

Though it felt like an agonizing eternity, it took less than half a minute before Chopper led them to were Usopp was looking over the cliff at the river banks.

"Usopp! Any sign of him_?_!" Luffy called out to his sniper before skidding to a stop next to him.

Usopp looked back with a panicked expression on his face. "I can't find him! This is where he fell, but a lot of rocks fell with him! I can't tell if he's still here or if he was swept down river!"

Luffy's eyes narrowed and he gritted he teeth. "I'm going in!"

"Luffy, stop!" Nami was quick to grab hold of his captain before he jumped. "You can't swim, idiot! You'll both drown!"

"I gotta do something, dammit!" Luffy snapped as he struggled a bit against the navigator's hold.

Robin was already using her own power to place eyes all along the cliff side to look for the swordsman, but she was distracted when a blue floral print shirt was tossed to the ground. She looked up and was startled when it looked as if Sanji was about to jump in. "Cook-san!"

All eyes were on Sanji and Chopper immediately shifted into heavy point to grab Sanji's arm. "Sanji! What do you think you're doing_?_!"

Sanji leveled a steady glare on Chopper as he pulled his arm away roughly. "I'm the only one that can go down there, Chopper!" His eyes quickly shifted to Luffy. Looking at his captain with a beseeching gaze. "Let me go."

The serious gleam in the blue eyes told Luffy all he needed to know. "Chopper, hold onto me."

Though Chopper hesitated a second, he was soon wrapping his large arms around Luffy securely.

Once he was held down, Luffy then held out his hand to Sanji. "Bring him back."

Sanji didn't think twice once he was given permission. He took hold of Luffy's hand only to turn and leap off the cliff side. He ignored the cries of his nakama's voices as he fell, his captain's stretching arm slowing his decent to the rushing river below. When he was certain he was moving at a safer speed to dive into the rushing water, Sanji released his captain's hand. Diving head first into the churning river.

The water was cold and instantly seized his recovering body, but he shoved it all out of his head. He fought against the strong currents that tried to push and pull him down river. Searching the murky water for where the rocks had fallen. It was hard to see, but Sanji could still make out colors and shapes within the shifting blur that surrounded him.

'_Where are you.. Dammit where are you?_!_'_ Before he started to panic, he caught a glimpse of green and swam towards it with everything he had.

Lungs burning and head spinning, Zoro struggled to get out from under the rubble that pinned him at the bottom of the river. The entire thing had happened so fast. He had felt the electricity in the air just an instant before the lightning had struck the cliff. Zoro only had enough time to shove Usopp and Chopper out of the way before the rocks crumbled and swept him over the side. The fact he had the presence of mind to take a breath before he hit the water was a miracle in itself.

Now his situation was becoming increasingly dire. His arms were trapped to his sides. The water along with the weight of the rocks made it impossible to gain the proper leverage to free himself. He was running out of air, and the weight was slowly crushing him. Making his air run out that much faster. If something didn't happen soon..

'_Dammit.. Not like this...'_

His vision was starting to blur in and out as the seconds ticked away. He wasn't sure if he was seeing things when something appeared to be swimming towards him. _'I... I can't.. Hold...'_

His eyes slid shut only to snap open when he felt a felt a familiar touch on his face. His eyes managed to focus through the moving water in order to see blond hair and pale skin in front of him. _'.. Sanji..'_

Sanji felt his heart pound when he found Zoro trapped under the pile of rubble. The fear he was restraining tightly came close to ripping free when the dark eyes were closed. But on touching the tan face he was instantly relieved when Zoro opened his eyes. He could see the swordsman was barely clinging on to consciousness.

One glance at the large rocks piled atop his nakama told Sanji it was going to take several kicks to get them away without hurting him. Zoro wouldn't be able to hold his breath long enough. He had to make a snap decision.

He looked to Zoro's eyes and gave a reassuring caress to his cheek. _'Hold on.. Please hold on..'_

Pulling away, Sanji kicked his feet off the river bottom and swam up to the surface. Pushing his weakening body past his limits, he broke through the water's surface gasping for breath.

"Sanji!" The others all called out to him from above. Their fears and anticipation almost tangible from how they cried out his name.

"I found him!" Sanji called out quickly. He took a few fast and deep breaths before filling up his lungs to full capacity. It placed a strain on his chest and back, but he pushed on and dove under the water once more.

His muscles were burning and his back was screaming. His wounds more than likely bleeding again, but it didn't matter. None of that mattered. He fought his way against the current. It seemed to be stronger than before. He knew that his weakening body wasn't going to last much longer against it. Still he pushed on. Forcing his legs and arms to propel him back to where Zoro was trapped. Heart pounding, he reached the swordsman and took hold of Zoro's face. Then moving in close, he pressed their lips together tightly. _'Stay with me... Stay with me, you mossy ass bastard!'_

Zoro could feel himself slipping away. The darkness that tinged the edges of his vision was growing. Closing in on him. It briefly made his slowing mind recall when he had been encased in wax at little garden. That feeling of being trapped. Running out of time.

But he didn't panic then. He knew his nakama would save him.

And now...

'_...He'll come...'_

A moment later he felt those familiar hands again cupping his face, and those lips pressing against his own. He didn't resist when a persistent tongue pried his mouth open. The moment his mouth was opened a rush of air forced its way into him. His eyes opened wider when the burning of his lungs was soothed by the air he needed so desperately.

For a tense moment they stayed locked like that. Mouths pressed tight together as they shared the limited air. Sanji breathed out. Zoro breathed in.

In...

...Out...

...In...

...Out...

Only when he was satisfied that Zoro would be okay did Sanji pull back. He placed his hand over Zoro's mouth, making sure the swordsman closed his lips. Feeling them close firmly against his palm, Sanji pulled away to focus on the rocks he had to deal with to finish this.

All he needed to do was clear away enough so Zoro could move out from under the rest. His body was already past its limits as the soaked bandages started unraveling from around him. Exposing his healing wounds that covered his back. Still Sanji fought the water pushing against him. Surging forward, he began slamming his feet into rock after rock. Kicking them aside and lessening the crushing weight on his nakama.

Nothing else was registering. Not the burn of his muscles. Not the searing pain pulling at his back. The brutal impact of his bare feet against the jagged rocks. The numbing cold that was seeping into his strung out body. None of it mattered. He wasn't going to give in until Zoro was free.

Zoro watched with rapt attention as Sanji moved relentlessly to free him. The moment that passed between them before made so many things click inside his head. He had no doubt in his mind Sanji would succeed. He trusted his nakama completely. Now he was no longer concerned of getting free. His only thoughts now that he had the oxygen to focus was grabbing hold of Sanji and getting to the surface. They were going to make it.

He waited for the muffled rumbling sounds of Sanji digging him out before he tried struggling again. He could feel the weight shift off of him steadily. The rocks were kicked aside, and bit by bit he was able to wriggle his arms loose. Once one larger chunk of rock shifted off the pile, Zoro managed to wrench his arms free. He was quick to claw his way out, shifting and writhing before the pile settled on top of him again.

Finally free in the water, Zoro turned and reached out for Sanji. _'Sanji!'_

He saw Zoro free himself, which sent a wave of relief wash over Sanji. But that last rock had taken what energy was left from Sanji's body. The pain and exhaustion was making his head spin. He tried to reach out for his nakama's hand, but the unrelenting current was too much for him. Arm outstretched, straining to reach, but he started to slip further away. _'Zoro..'_

Zoro's eyes widened when Sanji was being taken away by the river. _'No!'_ He stopped fighting the move of the water and tried to move with it. Trying with everything he had to close the gap between them before it was too late. _'Don't give in now, you curly bastard!'_

It was then he caught a glimpse of something. It was one of Sanji's bandages floating by trailing behind the cook. Without bothering to think, Zoro grabbed hold of it and his luck was rewarded when the other end was still wrapped around the blond's torso. Stopping Sanji from getting sucked away by the undercurrents.

Using the bandage like a rope, he pulled them closer quickly while it still held together. The moment Sanji was within his grasp he locked his arms around him tight. He then used all of his remaining strength to get them to the surface. It seemed like they would never reach as the water kept twisting and pulling at them.

But the way Sanji clung to him spurred Zoro to keep going.

Sanji knew he could do it.

That he would do it.

Sanji held on as tight as he could so they wouldn't be ripped apart again.

Things seemed to slow when they finally managed to erupt on the surface of the dark waters. Hearts pounding, both gasping raggedly for air. Clinging to one another as the water tried to bring them back down.

Tightening his right arm around Sanji's waist, Zoro shot his left hand up towards the cliffs above them. "LUFFY!"

Up above Robin was the first to spot them. Within a second she had a series of arms sprouting from the riverbanks to grab hold of them both to keep them from being swept down the river. "Luffy! To the right! Hurry!" she called out to her captain as she strained to keep her hold on them.

"Yosh! Chopper! Hold on!" Luffy shouted out to the doctor again before getting close to the cliff edge. He nearly would have jumped off if it hadn't been for Chopper grabbing hold of him as he shot his hand down to the pair.

An instant later he caught hold of Zoro's hand and grabbed it tight. Wasting no time in quickly pulling them up towards the cliff.

"Robin! Usopp! Help catch them!" Chopper called out before they made a crash landing against the jagged land around them.

Robin was ready with one of her arm nets to stop them from flying into the rocks, and Usopp was there to catch them after their sudden stop. "Zoro! Sanji! Are you okay_?_!" Usopp asked quickly as he steadied the both of them.

Zoro couldn't respond at first when Sanji collapsed from exhaustion next to him. He readily caught the cook, and gathered the trembling body in his arms. "Chopper! Sanji needs help!" he called out quickly, carrying the blond to the doctor.

Chopper was there in an instant. Checking over the cook promptly, he frowned deeply and motioned for Zoro to move towards the cave. "We need to get him dry and warm. Part of his wounds have opened up again. We need to get you both back to the cave now! Nami! Run ahead and gather what you can to get them dry, and gather up all the blankets!"

"Got it!" Nami ran off through the rain, grateful for being able to move after being frozen stiff with worry. But now everything that Robin had told her the day before finally made sense to instant she saw Zoro gather Sanji into his arms._ 'They do need each other..'_

Zoro readily went along with the doctor. Ignoring his burning muscles and the cold that was making it hard to breathe, he carried Sanji back to the cave. Clutching the far too pale body close to his chest in a weak attempt to warm him. Though he knew he was just as freezing as Sanji was.

Relief soon came when he was inside the cave that was warmed from the fire. It nearly burned as the pinpricks of heat nipped along his skin, but it was a welcomed change from the numbness that was starting to settle in. He moved towards where Nami was spreading out the towels and blankets, but was reluctant to let Sanji go.

His hesitation must have showed. "Zoro, get out of those wet clothes and sit next to the fire to get warm. I'll look after Sanji." Chopper told the swordsman as gently as he could.

In other words, get out of the way. Zoro knew it, but there was nothing he could do now. He gently placed Sanji on the towels that were layered up on the ground and stepped aside. As Chopper moved in to treat the cook, Zoro began peeling out of his wet clothes and took the offered blanket Nami was holding out to him.

"Are you okay..?" Nami asked quietly.

"I'm fine.." Zoro mumbled as he wrapped himself up in the blanket. In truth his mind was a bit frayed from everything that happened so quickly. It seemed like a choppy dream now that it was over. He almost lost himself to his thoughts when he then felt a firm hand on his shoulder. He glanced back to see Luffy looking at him. "Luffy.."

A soft smile was on Luffy's lips as he held Zoro's shoulder a bit tighter. "I'm proud of both of you.." he said quietly. His smile twitched a bit wider into a grin. "Everything will be okay."

Hearing those words from his captain made Zoro sudden feel a bit easier. He gave a weak smile in return before slumping his shoulders forward a bit. Showing his own exhaustion settling in. "Thanks..."

"Come on. Let's get you by the fire." Usopp suddenly cut in, wrapping another blanket around Zoro's shoulders and nudging him to move.

As he was led towards the fire where Robin was returning to the stew that had been abandoned, Zoro glanced back to where Sanji was being looked after. That thin trembling body that was being wrapped up in blankets to fight off the chill. At first he thought Sanji was out cold, but blue eyes cracked open and focused on him.

A faint smile ghosted across Sanji's pale lips. It was warm. Gentle. _'Stupid marimo'_ Sanji mouthed out silently before letting his eyes slide shut again. That smile still on his lips.

That gesture left Zoro staring, but after a moment he was smiling as well. It would be alright. Sanji would be fine. _'.. We'll be fine...' _

With that thought in mind, Zoro settled down where Usopp sat him near the fire. Finally allowing himself to rest.

Their nakama would take care of everything.

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TBC

Let it out slowly.

Later~


	20. Holding his hand

Open your eyes to a new perspective.

Enjoy~

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Chapter 20

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'_Protect that person, Sanji.'_

A faint voice in the distance cut through the dark void his senses were swimming in.

'_Protect that person with everything you have.'_

The voice kept talking. It was so familiar. Sanji knew that voice. He struggled to grasp at it. Pulling himself from the void.

'_Protect that person's life more fiercely than your own.'_

Though he kept reaching for the voice, he began feeling pain. The pain started slight at first, but then grew. Countless hot needles tearing at him, digging in deep.

'_If that person faces death, step up and face it for them.'_

He could feel his heart pounding in his chest beyond the pain. Those words stirred something deep. He had to get up.

'_Never let them slip away.'_

Sanji groaned softly as the words floated through his mind. "J... Jijih..." he mumbled through dry lips. He was still fighting against that sluggish void, but it was so tempting considering the pain he was in.

"Sanji..? Sanji.. It's okay. You're safe. Just relax. Don't force yourself to wake up." a soft young voice whispered to him.

He was confused for a moment, but then he recognized that concerned doctor tone. "Ch.. Chopper..?"

He felt a small hoof gently holding his right hand. "I'm right here, Sanji. Please just rest. You went under a lot of strain. Your muscles were overextended in your legs and arms. It's going to be difficult for you to move, so don't rush." Chopper answered quietly.

Sanji frowned and worked to crack an eye open. It felt like hours, but in a few second the dark lashes of his right eye flickered open. His eye was unfocused and felt grainy, but he still attempt to glance around. "Where.. Are we..?"

"Still in the cave. The storms finally passed last night. We'll be able to leave once you're well enough to move." Chopper informed the cook. There was a clearly relieved look on his face as he watched the too pale face. It had been a bit sketchy for a while, but Sanji didn't develop any major complications after he had braved the storm and river to save Zoro.

"Last night..." Sanji's frown deepened when something seemed off. "How long have I been out..?" his raspy voice questioned. _'Fuck.. I need a drink and a cigarette...'_

"You've been in and out of consciousness for three days. But good news is that your back wasn't injured any worse. It's still healing properly." Chopper chirped.

"... Bad news..?" Sanji asked after a thoughtful silence.

The little doctor's expression grew somber a bit as he glanced towards the end of the makeshift bed they had made for Sanji. "Your feet... Since you didn't have anything protecting them, they were hurt when you kicked at the rocks... Nothing serious, but still.."

On hearing that, Sanji tried to wiggle his toes only to immediately hiss and jerk from the pain. "Fuck!"

"Oi! I just told you your feet were hurt! Idiot! Stop moving!" Chopper snapped, but his irritation was drowned out by his concern.

"Moving.. Is the last thing on my mind... Shit.." Sanji tried to relax on the soft sleeping bags piled under him, but his entire body felt rigid. Like every muscle was pulled tight and ready to snap. "Fuck... Stiff..." he grumbled.

Chopper bit at his lower lip and shifted anxiously. He hated seeing his nakama in pain. "I'm sorry.. My prepared medicines got wet from the when there was a leak in the cave. I'll make something for the pain as soon as the others get back."

Sanji frowned slightly as he took this in. "Where is everyone?"

"Usopp and Luffy went with Nami to check on Merry. Robin and Zoro went to scout for any marines in the area and to get some supplies from a small village nearby. They should be back soon." Chopper explained while checking the cook over.

"I see..." A thoughtful frown was on Sanji's face as he figured how long he was going to be out of commission now. If his feet were messed up, that meant he was pretty much useless. "How bad are my feet?" He partially didn't want to know. An idiotic fear that he beat back into submission quickly.

"They were bleeding a lot, but I've got them cleaned and bandaged. I was worried you might have broken a few bones, but you only dislocated a few of your toes. Your ankles were bruised and swollen from the amount of force you had to use, but over all everything will heal just fine." Chopper informed him with a smile. "The majority of the effort will be getting your muscles loosened up after such a sudden strain. Massage therapy will be best. I'll make a medicinal oil to use that will ease the pain. I'd say you'll be able to be up and moving about in a couple of days, but you'll have to take it easy." He lightly prodded at Sanji's shoulder. "You hear me? E. A. S. Y. I expect you to listen to doctor's orders, dammit."

The fierce glare from the fuzzy face had Sanji smiling and chuckling weakly. "Yes, Doctor Chopper-sensei-san. Ugh.. I'm thirsty... Can I have a smoke?"

"I'll get you some water.. And no you can't smoke! Dammit, I wish you'd quit!" Chopper scolded as he hopped away to grab a canteen. After digging through the supplies he was also able to find a straw, so Sanji wouldn't be forced to move to drink. Soon he was holding the canteen and straw where the cook could reach.

"Quitting's for losers." Sanji mused with a smirk before he gratefully took a sip. After getting his fill he felt a great deal better. He ignored the doctor glare and hummed softly as he looked up at the rock ceiling above him. After a quiet moment he found himself asking "How's Zoro?"

The question had Chopper smiling once more. "He's fine. He's gotten a few bruises from where the rocks landed on him, but it's nothing to worry over. He's lucky you were able to get to him in time."

"Heh.. Lucky.. Sometimes I wonder if that's that bastard's real name." Sanji mused lightly.

"Same could be said for you. You always seem to be at the right place at the right time to save everyone." Chopper pointed out with another light poke.

"Think so?"

The little doctor readily nodded. "Know so."

Smiling at the confidence Chopper had in him, Sanji let out a sigh and closed his eyes. "Thanks, Chopper."

Blushing at the gratitude, Chopper bit his tongue to keep from going into his wiggly denial fit. It looked as if Sanji was trying to rest, so the Doctor was going to let him.

_fjfjfj_

A couple of hours passed before Robin and Zoro finally returned from their trip. Zoro was hauling a large backpack filled with food to get them by until Sanji was up to cooking again. He tried not to worry too much over the cook, but every minute those blue eyes were closed, the more on edge he became. Yes, Chopper told him that Sanji would be fine, but Zoro wasn't going to be satisfied until the bastard sat up and tried to kick his skull in.

He couldn't believe it, but he missed their fights so much. The way the jolting contact between his blade and the sole of Sanji's shoe would send a hard vibration all the way up his arm and make his teeth ache. The heat of a lit cigarette hovering inches from his face when they were at a stand off. Watching the flex and agility of the lean body. He missed it all. Every day that passed made the ache deeper. He wanted Sanji back and healthy. He was determined to get him back.

So focused on his inner thoughts, Zoro was oblivious to the soft knowing smiles that Robin kept throwing in his direction. With every hardship the strange connection between the cook and the swordsman seemed to grow stronger. Her imagination couldn't even fathom how much stronger it would be in the future. _'.. I have no doubt Luffy will become Pirate king with those two supporting him..' _she mused to herself with a confidence she had never felt before. It was strange, and comforting. Being able to believe in something without doubt.

Their first stop was to Merry to see if the ship was okay. To their great surprise, their home looked as if they had never left it. Usopp was clinging to the sheep's head proclaiming his undying faith to the astonishingly sturdy vessel while Luffy was nagging his sniper to get off his favorite seat.

However when Nami caught sight of them she leapt off the ship and rushed to them. "Are you two crazy_?_! Don't bring it here! Luffy will swallow the entire bag!" she hissed before shoving Zoro back towards the direction of the cave.

Zoro was immediately glaring at her. "You expect me to cart this shit all the way up that narrow goat trail?" he asked flatly.

"Yes! Now go!" Nami growl before kicking the swordsman's ass in the right direction. "Robin! Please go with him so he doesn't fall off another cliff."

"Oi! That wasn't my fault, you money grubbing Mmmph!" Zoro's words were cut off when a set of arms suddenly grew out of his shoulders and a pair of hands clamped over his mouth. His narrow eyed glare quickly shifted to the raven haired woman.

Robin gave a blissfully sweet smile. "I figure, since Cook-san is absent, I would take over his 'no insulting the ladies' duties. Let's go, Swordsman-san. I believe Cook-san would want you to take on his food guarding duties as well."

A low growl left Zoro, but he knew Sanji wouldn't want their idiot captain swallowing everything in one bite. Again. So after glaring at the grinning Nami waving cheerfully at them, he turned to follow Robin back towards the cave. If he was honest with himself, he would admit that's where he wanted to go the moment they were finished. But he was trying to keep his distance as best he could. He had made a point that Sanji didn't need him holding his hand.

But this felt different. He wanted to hold Sanji's hand. Wanted to be there because Sanji had been there for him. Saved his life yet again.

The moment Zoro had calmed down from the ordeal of the storm, he silently swore to himself he was going to try his damnedest to make sure that the blond wouldn't have to save him any more. _'I refuse to place him in unnecessary danger anymore...'_

He was firm in his conviction to that thought. He wasn't going to allow Sanji to bear the pain that was meant for him. _'I have to get stronger for him.' _

He swore it on Wadou. It was a promise he was soul bound to keep.

As the thought mulled through his head, he was barely conscious of how quickly they progressed up the rugged trail to the caves. Nor did he notice the way Robin's hands sprouted around him and nudged him if he strayed the wrong way. By the time he noticed they were at the mouth of the cave, Zoro paused and blinked in confusion. He glanced back at the trail behind him, then to the cave again. A puzzled frown fell over his tanned face . _'Did the cave move closer to Merry..?'_

Seeing the confoundment on the swordsman's face had Robin raising a hand to her mouth in a weak attempt to hide her giggling. The way Zoro's head processed travel and directions was a mystery she was certain no one could solve. Instead she let him ponder the wonders of not so stationary objects and headed into the cave.

As she did she soon noticed Chopper near the stew pot that was currently boiling some water. He looked in the process of cleaning his mortar and pestle along with his other medical equipment. "Doctor-san. How's the patient?" Robin asked quietly when she saw Sanji was still sleeping.

Chopper quickly lifted his head and smiled brightly at the woman. "He's okay. He woke up about an hour ago wanting cigarettes. Right now it's the muscle strain and fatigue keeping him out. Did you get the plants and medicines I asked for?"

Robin easily nodded as she took up the black bag she had shouldered. "I was able to locate everything on your list."

The doctor was beaming on hearing the good news. "That's great! Sanji really needs some medicine so he won't get sick again. I'll start some right now!" The little reindeer was quick to hop up and take the bag from Robin.

It was good to see the doctor this positive. Chopper had been so worried about Sanji that all of them had to remind the doctor to eat. It was almost as bad as dealing with Zoro.

Now that the swordsman crossed her mind, she glanced back to see the green haired man was still standing outside the cave. With a roll of her blue eyes, Robin crossed her arms delicately.

Outside a series of arms sprouted out from the ground the right height to give Zoro a push into the cave.

Choking on a startled sound, Zoro staggered into the cave, trying not to fall over with all the food. Once he was stable he gave the woman another glare. He tried to ignore that damn knowing smile as he shrugged off the pack.

Though he was trying not to, his eyes drifted over to where Sanji still slept. Seeing the blue eyes closed had a flicker of a sad frown pulling across his face. _'When is he going to wake up..'_

As if hearing the silent question, the blonde resting on the pile of blankets gave a soft pain filled groan as he tried to shift uncomfortably.

The bag of food was dropped and Zoro was on his knees by Sanji's side before the blond had even finished the sound of discomfort. Following that impulse that nagged him still, Zoro took hold of the pale hand resting above the blankets and held it in both of his. He was relieved when the pale skin wasn't that same bone chilling cold. But when the slender hand twitched and grasped his in return he let out the breath he didn't even know he was holding.

Feeling a familiar warmth close by, Sanji eyes slowly cracked open. He then sluggishly focused on the man by his side. Once he saw the green hair a tired smile pulled over his pale lips. "Yo, Marimo." the raspy voice called out.

Zoro snorted softly in amusement as he gave a light squeeze to the hand he held. "Yo yourself. You look like shit."

"Zoro!" Chopper snapped before chucking a pebble at his rude nakama.

".. Ow..." Zoro had to raise his right hand to rub where the pebble hit him in the back of the head.

A little sleepy smug smile was on Sanji's face as he looked up at the scowling swordsman. "Better watch whatcha say, Moss head. My doctor will kick your ass if you're mean to me in my weakened condition." he stated with a little nod, though that action pulled a short groan of pain from him.

At first he was staring at the cook blandly, but his expression softened a bit when Sanji groaned again. "That fucked up, huh..?" he asked quietly. For just a nod to cause pain, Sanji had to be a wreck.

"Yeah... River current pushed me too hard... Can't move.. Feels like everything's seized up.." Sanji mumbled as he weakly clutched at Zoro's hand. His hands were the only things he could move without it feeling like something was tearing.

A flicker of concern fell over Zoro's face. ".. You'll be okay, right?"

"Yeah.. Just going to take time... Work all the tension out.." Sanji grunted as he tried to shift again to get more comfortable.

"I'll help you with that once we get back to Merry. You'll be more comfortable when we get you on a real futon.." Chopper called out as he began mixing up a batch of medicine. Now that he had the ingredients, it wouldn't take him long. "I'll work on that oil. As soon as you're recovered a bit more, we'll work on starting some massage therapy to help get you moving again."

The thought of anyone touching him at the moment almost made Sanji nauseous. "Ugh.. You better give me the good shit then... I feel brittle at the moment.."

"It's the good shit." Chopper answered readily.

"Yay..." Sanji closed his eyes and let out a weary sigh. "Can't get comfortable.. Damn back itches.. Feet hurt.."

Though he felt bad about his nakama's pain, Zoro found himself chuckling. "Heh.. You either hide your pain or whine..."

"Oi, you won't let me hide it, so I'm gonna whine, fucker. Deal with it." Sanji grumbled loudly before weakly squirming. "Nnn... It itches..."

"I've still got some salve I can put on your back."

The mere suggestion had the cook whining again in dismay. "Nuuu... That shit smells nasty..."

"It's either that or the itching, Cook-san." Robin pointed out lightly from her place perched on a folding chair.

Sanji whimpered pathetically. "You wouldn't say that if you smelled it, Robin-chan."

"Heh.. It is pretty awful." Zoro mused, having been slathered with it enough times himself.

"See? Zoro knows!"

"It's not that bad..." Chopper tried to defend it before he sighed and bowed his head. "Okay, it does smell bad, but I can't help that!"

"I've made my point." Sanji grumbled.

"Well, hopefully this will help. Robin? Can you please get me a cup of that hot water? This will work faster if he drinks it." Chopper said while giving one last grind to the herbs and medicines he had mixed. Once Robin handed over the filled cup, Chopper carefully mixed the fresh medicines in the hot water. "Zoro, please help Sanji sit up a bit so he can drink this." the doctor called out. Unfortunately, this drink would bee too hot to use a straw.

Zoro looked to Sanji and held on tighter to the pale hand. "Take a deep breath." he told the blond quietly as he moved to shift his nakama up.

Doing as told, Sanji took as deep a breath as he could and held it. When Zoro began moving him a choked growl was caught in his throat. By the time he was braced against Zoro's lap, he was gasping for breath. "Shit shit shit.." he grunted through clenched teeth.

Squeezing Sanji's hand, Zoro frowned and looked up, relieved to see Chopper was coming over quickly.

Chopper held the cup carefully at the dry lips for Sanji to get at as he spoke. "This will knock you out for a while. I think it'll be best if we take you back to Merry while you're out. Okay?"

Sanji made a face that clearly spoke the medicine still tasted horrible, but he nodded as he drank. He drank up as much as he could, ready for a bit of medicine induced sleep. When he finally pulled away he was breathing slightly faster. "That's fine... With my feet fucked, I don't think I could walk on them anyway.."

That tone had Zoro frowning as he gently combed back some of Sanji's tangled hair. "Hey.. You're going to be fine."

The attempt at comfort made a slight smile twitch over the too pale lips. "Heh.. Careful, Marimo... Nami-san will accuse you of being all couple-y..."

"Hn. That hag can-Ow!" Zoro yelped when the hand that had been close to the blond's face was attacked. He looked at the teeth marks under his thumb before staring down at the frowning cook. "You bit me! Why the fuck did you bite me_?_!"

Sanji leveled the best glare he could managed at the idiot swordsman. "Don't be rude to Nami-san, shithead."

The expression on Zoro's tan face turned sour as he scowled hard. "I try to show a bit of compassion and you fuckin bite me!"

"I'll show you compassion when I kick your mossy ass!"

Chopper's eyes were wide and he was about to snap at both of them, but he was startled when Robin took hold of his arm and began pulling him away. "Robin! They shouldn't be arguing! Sanji's not-" His words were cut off when a hand popped out of his hat and covered his mouth.

Robin pressed a finger to her lips and smiled. "Shh.. This is how they work. Let's leave them be for a minute. Swordsman-san will let us know when Cook-san is ready to leave. Let's start packing up our things and ready them to take back to the ship." she suggested quietly.

Though he didn't get it, Chopper sighed and nodded. "Okay.."

As they were gathering up what was left in the cave and preparing to leave, the pair on the cave floor were still glaring hard at each other.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean_?_! You couldn't touch me even if you were at 200 percent!"

"I can floor ya right now, marimo! I don't need my legs to beat your fluffy moss ass!"

"Fluffy_?_! Since when the hell has my ass ever been fluffy_?_!"

They slung back insult after insult.

However, through it all, their hands were still held tight.

Their fingers laced together.

_fjfjfjfjfjfjfjfj_

TBC

Heated words aren't always in anger.

Later~


	21. The finest thing you own

A healing bond is delicate, but precious.

Enjoy~

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Chapter 21

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".. Think you'll feel up for traveling today..?"

Giving a soft groan when strong hands began working over his left calf, Sanji nodded slightly. "Chopper said I should be okay... I should start walking to build my strength back up..."

In the quiet of the boys' cabin, Zoro's hands kept up with their task of aiding the cook's muscles to heal. After they had finally returned to Merry, the swordsman had requested Chopper to teach him what he had to do to assist Sanji's recovery. So after being taught the basics of massage therapy and given a bottle of medicinal oil, Zoro had set to work.

At first Sanji was wracked with pain at every touch, but steadily, after multiple sessions over the past two days, Sanji was able to move with only a little discomfort. His feet were still healing, but he could at least put weight on them. Most of all, his back was finally scarring over as the first wound that started all of this healed.

Though those scars still bothered him, Zoro was glad. Things were going to heal. They were healing.

"I need to pick up something in one of the villages. You can come with. See how well you're doing." Zoro commented on that same neutral tone he always had. Inside his heart was beating a bit faster. Thinking about that thing he had ordered over a week ago...

During this whole ordeal with the storms, that crucial item was always lingering in the back of his head. It irritated him to no end that things seemed to be stacked against them, but he wasn't about to let a stupid island's crazy ass weather deter him._ 'That tailor better not have gotten blown up in the storms, or I'm trashing this entire fuckin island...'_

"Heh.. If you're leading the way, we'll never return." Sanji teased with a slight smile as he shifted on the couch. He didn't have to open his eyes to know he was fixed with a bland stare.

"... Ass. No, Nami will be coming too. She's paying for it, and wants to make sure it's worth the price." Zoro answered as he carefully worked his way up to the slender ankles. The bandages were still on Sanji's feet, but it was only to keep the cuts on them clean. He took a moment to look over them. A bit astounded at how they could stand up to the tremendous forces of Sanji's kicks.

Now that he knew they wouldn't be hopelessly lost, Sanji easily nodded. "Sure. I'll go. Might go ahead and do our supply shopping on the way back."

'_Heh.. After what Nami's having to pry out of her wallet, she'll probably put us on rations for a month.' _Zoro mused with a rueful frown. He was going to have to pay out his ass to cover his debts now. But he had already decided over a week ago that he didn't care about having Nami's financial claws tearing at his hide. This meant more than the money that woman foolishly worshiped._'Much more..'_

His hands continued with their task, and instead of feeling like a chore, Zoro found himself enjoying it. The quiet closeness it allowed them. The others left them to themselves during these little sessions, which made it a moment they could just be. No crew, no pirates. Just the two of them.

Nothing particularly intimate really passed between them other than the occasional lingering touch or stolen kiss. Though the attraction and desire were there, this wasn't something they could bull rush into. They had to make sure they knew where they stood with one another. How they could make this work, being nakama and still serving Luffy to their full potential. This was something they were going to have to work on together. Everything laid out on the table. No secrets, no hesitation.

Above all, no turning back. Once they set this into motion, there was no going back to how things were before. Once emotions got involved it would be for keeps. Both of them knew that without having to say a word. These sessions helped them with that.

The quiet time let them each mediate on their own thoughts and feelings while keeping contact. Allowed them to relax and learn one another without having to sling a lot of unnecessary back story. Beyond all of that it built their trust. That once shattered and barely recognizable connection had somehow mended itself into something stronger, deeper.

Zoro could feel it in the way Sanji relaxed so easily into his hands now. The way his blue eyes stayed closed. It was such a difference to have his ever present suspicious guard down completely. He could actually see the blond breathing easier now that the tension that had always been there since they met finally drained away.

Sanji felt it in the way Zoro took so much time and effort in making sure that he was going to heal. Not only heal physically, but emotionally as well. The fact the swordsman had actually taken an interest in his thoughts and dreams meant more to him than he could ever say. He knew Zoro wanted him standing at a hundred percent by his side.

The moment things were healed the bond between them would be stronger.

They would be stronger.

Zoro gently sat Sanji's leg back down on the couch before taking up the pale left arm. His fingers started the process of working out the lingering tension. Starting with the shoulder and working his way to the slender hand. Despite Sanji never complaining about his hands hurting, Zoro still massaged them gently. He was always rewarded by a hum of pleasure as Sanji seemed to melt into the cushions.

The hands he had watched and admired from afar were finally something he could lavish attention to without it seeming.. Well, Strange. Even through the pain, though weak, Sanji's hands were still so steady. Zoro almost couldn't believe it. Even during their first session when the pain had been the worst, Sanji merely fisted his hands in the sheets of Chopper's futon and gripped them like a vice. Not even a tremor.

As he traced the fingers, a thought occurred to him. He suddenly found himself voicing it. "Is it weird to find hands attractive?"

"Hm?" Sanji frowned a bit in thought as he mulled over the question. "Well.. I know I've seen ugly hands, so attractive ones logically can exist... As a chef, if I encounter another cook I'll take a look at their hands to see how well they take care of them... I've found the touch and appearance attractive..." The blond head then shook after a moment's pause. "I don't think it's all that weird, no."

"So you won't find it weird when I say I'm attracted to your hands."

That had a blue eye cracking open. Sanji focused on his companion with a curious look. "You are?"

Zoro nodded simply as he continued touching the calloused pads on Sanji's hand. "Yeah." The callouses were different from his own, but somewhat similar. He could tell the years of gripping the handles of the knives Sanji held so dearly. "Never really thought of it before.. But you know how to wield a blade. I'd say you'd be a decent swordsman if you ever decided to."

That statement coming from Zoro was seriously saying something, and Sanji knew it. "You know I won't."

"I know." Zoro lightly traced the lines on Sanji's palm. "Your hands aren't meant for it. Your touch is too delicate to be wasted like that."

Sanji raised a brow at the odd words. "Delicate?"

Realizing he wasn't making much sense, Zoro frowned. Frustrated at himself for still being unable to word things properly. "Too.. Steady. Your hands are like rock. They never hesitate. They're always so confident and sure." Zoro paused in his attentions as he simply held the pale hand in his own. "They're meant for meticulous work. Things that require finesse and patience." he stated, hoping that he managed a better explanation.

The honest words pulled strong at Sanji's heart. All the times that he thought Zoro wasn't paying attention to him, turns out he was paying very close attention. It made a blush want to form on his cheeks, but he fought it off. Instead he curled his fingers around the tan ones. "Observant Marimo..." Sanji whispered as he looked to Zoro's dark eyes.

"Lately, at least..." Following his impulse, Zoro lifted Sanji's hand and place a kiss to the pale knuckles. He let his lips linger there on the soft skin before parting them and letting his tongue barely taste it.

Blue eyes widened and dilated when he felt the warm wet touch on his skin. "Zoro.." Without a second thought, Sanji gripped tight to the hand holding his and tugged hard. Pulling Zoro on top of him.

His breath catching at the sudden pull, Zoro had to quickly shoot up his left hand to grab the back of the couch. Stopping himself from crashing down on top of the pale body. He was left with his face only inches apart from Sanji's. Looking into the blue eyes and that tiny smug smile again. He raised a suspicious brow. "And that was for..?"

Sanji's smile grew into a smirk. "You weren't close enough." Before Zoro could retort, Sanji's right hand moved up and tangled into the short green hair. Gripping firm, he pulled his nakama down and kissed him. Slowly, taking his time in tasting the other man's mouth

Zoro managed a gasp before his mouth was claimed, but he was soon giving into the cook's impulsive demand. Carefully, he began lowering himself atop the blond. Making sure to brace himself on the couch so Sanji wouldn't have to bear his weight on the still healing back.

Exploring his nakama's mouth, catching that faint hint of steel, Sanji hummed in pleasure. His left hand wandered up and roamed over the broad back. Sanji was beginning to get a strange pleasure in touching Zoro's back. As his fingers found their way under the annoying haramaki, he paused when he notice something. A material that wasn't the same as the green haramaki. It was smoother. A higher quality cloth. It felt familiar.

Losing himself into that kiss, Zoro nearly purred when that hand moved down his back. However when Sanji seemed to pause and get distracted, he pulled back. "What is it..?" he asked when he caught the puzzled expression on the pale face.

Saying nothing at first, Sanji tugged the piece of cloth free and held it up. It was a torn piece of vivid red fabric that had thin black.. Stripes...

"This.. Is from my shirt..." Sanji frowned in confusion as he looked back up at Zoro only to blink at the sudden blush that was on the tan face. "... I threw that shirt away almost two weeks ago..." _'.. Did he fish it out of the trash...?'_

Coughing slightly, Zoro sat up. He hadn't expected that to be discovered, so found himself scraping for what to say. Sanji was looking at him expectantly, which caused him to rub uneasily at the back of his neck. "I.. Got it from that room we were staying in when the storms fist started. It was caught on that piece of metal you.. Saved me from." His eyes focused on the fabric with a frown. "Don't really know why... But I kept it."

Sanji had listened quietly at the not so much of a explanation, but he found it didn't matter. Slowly he managed to sit up as well. He rubbed his fingers over the fine fabric of his shirt with what could be called a thoughtful expression on his face. It had been one of his better shirts. Tailor made for him. It had pissed him off that it had been ruined, but a lot of his things had been ruined thanks to this shitty island and its fucked up weather.

But the thoughts of his shirt fell away as he tried to grasp the fact that Zoro made the decision to keep the worthless scrap of cloth. Even after hell had broken loose between them. Zoro still held on to it.

Zoro was watching, more than a little tense as Sanji kept looking at the red cloth. He had no idea what was going through the cook's head. _'Shit.. I don't know what was going through my head when I kept the damn thing..' _He could only hope it didn't stir up any bad memories.

After a long moment of silence, Sanji reached over and took hold of Zoro's right hand. He brought it closer and placed the scrap of fabric into the larger hand. As he had the tan fingers close around it, an amused hum left him. He looked up at he nakama with a sly smirk. "Congrats. It's now the finest thing you own."

The teasing tone had Zoro blinking for a moment before he was glaring at the blond idiot. "Shit cook." he growled, but still tucked the cloth back under his haramaki. He glanced down when a pale hand covered his own over the green cloth. Glancing back up he was a bit surprised to see Sanji leaning in with that same smirk. "Need something?" he asked with a raised brow.

"Depends..." Sanji licked the tip of Zoro's nose playfully. "How much time do we have until we need to head out to that village?"

That playfulness had Zoro quickly smirking in return. "Enough."

"Perfect."

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TBC

Keepsakes are for keeping's sake.

Later~


	22. Worth it

Kindness is a special medicine.

Enjoy~

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Chapter 22

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They had made the long journey to what appeared to be a very well off village. It had been spared from the storms for the most part, only minor repairs due to fallen trees. There had been obvious relief for not only Nami, but Zoro as well when they found the village intact.

Sanji had noticed the short sigh that Zoro had given and an ease of some sort of tension from his shoulders. That's what Sanji had noticed first. The tension.

There had been a strange sense of tension coming from Zoro the moment they had set off from the ship. If that wasn't odd, Nami seemed far too perky for a shopping trip. Especially a shopping trip that was something that Zoro had apparently ordered. It was like they were anticipating something that was waiting for them.

Sanji didn't understand, but he went along quietly. He wasn't really in the mood to start questioning things that weren't any of his business. Besides, his feet were proving to be a good distraction. They were sore and throbbed every time he placed them on the ground, but it was tolerable. He took to clenching his hands in the pockets of his black jeans whenever a sharp pain threatened to make him stumble.

He knew he shouldn't hide the fact they were walking too fast, but he was tired of being cooped up and stationary.

However the moment they had stepped on the main street of the village, Zoro had asked Nami a hushed question. Sanji nearly tripped when Zoro abruptly stopped Nami, but he was soon blinking when he was greeted to the sight of a stare off Sanji had never seen before between the two. Zoro's eyes looked hard and beyond irritated, while Nami seemed immediately nervous as she waved her hands quickly in a disarming gesture. Something that Zoro apparently wasn't buying when his expression immediately turned pissed. Tan arms folded over the broad chest as Zoro glared silently at the woman.

Swallowing nervously, Nami turned to the cook and gave a huge smile that almost looked painful. "Sanji-kun! I just remembered that I forgot something back at the ship! I need you to wait here."

Which utterly baffled the cook. "Eh..?" Sanji tilted his head in confusion as he stared at the two in front of him. "You.. Need me to wait here?" he asked slowly.

"Y.. Yeah! Just for a little while!"

Nami looked like she was ready to bolt any second, while Zoro's hard gaze was fixed on her. Sanji could have sworn there was a blush on the tan cheeks, but there was no way that could be...

"So you want me to.. Wait for what exactly..?" Sanji questioned with a suspicious frown. They were up to something...

Nami was trying to give a disarming smile, but it was clear she was trying to avoid the glare that Zoro was trying to burn a hole through her with. "I just need you to wait here with Zoro for a moment while I run back and check on something."

Though he was still confused, Sanji nodded. "Okay, Nami-san... You sure you don't need any he-"

"No! I mean no. No help. Just wait right here. I'll be right back." Nami said quickly before turning on her heel and running back in the direction of port. _'Eeee.. Note to self.. Zoro gets scary when Sanji is concerned..'_

Sanji watched the navigator leave with a perplexed frown and scratched the back of his head. "What do you suppose that was all about..?" he asked his companion lightly.

"Her being herself..." Zoro grunted under his breath as he looked away._ 'Fuckin beli hoarding hag.. I can't believe she was going to try and con her way out of not paying for the rest of the jacket...'_ he mentally seethed. Nami was nakama, but she seriously got under his skin.

Zoro wanted this to be special. Wanted this for Sanji. He was already nervous as hell about the blond liking whatever the tailor had produced. He wasn't going to risk the conniving navigator ruining it all by trying to save a few beli.

Still not understanding, Sanji stopped himself from asking when Zoro turned away. He knew that was the swordsman's 'not going to discuss this' stance. Giving up, Sanji sighed and busied himself with lighting a cigarette. He was still technically under a cigarette ban from Chopper, but what the little doctor didn't know wouldn't hurt him this time. It was for the sake of his own sanity and the fact he was chewing on his lower lip again to get some much missed nicotine.

After the first deep drag he let it out on a blissful sigh before nearly melting back against a short stone wall they were waiting near by. "Mmm.. That's better.." he nearly purred.

Though he was set on being pissed at Nami, seeing Sanji relax like that pulled a slight smile to Zoro's lips. "Chopper keeps telling you those are bad for your health." he pointed out.

Sanji let out another long stream of smoke and smirked at the swordsman. "So's being a pirate with Luffy as a captain." he countered easily.

To which Zoro couldn't argue. "Got me there. How are your feet?" He had noticed a faint limp in the blond's walk about half way to the village, but he hadn't said anything. He was trying to trust Sanji to voice his limits instead of having to call him out on it.

The change in subject had Sanji looking down at his bandaged feet clad in a pair of sandals. His feet were still swollen, so he couldn't wear his shoes yet. He knew Zoro probably had seen he had been struggling, so it was pointless to act okay. "They ache, but it's tolerable. As long as I don't have to stand for a long time I'll be okay." To add to the statement he hoisted himself to sit atop the stone wall so he could take the weight off his feet.

Once he settled himself on his perch he let out a soft sigh. "Honestly I'm just glad to be away from the ship for a moment. Being closed in was starting to get to me."

"Heh.. Never woulda noticed if it hadn't been for the constant bitching." Zoro snorted as he leaned against the wall close to the blond. He was silently glad that Sanji was out as well. It meant things were getting closer to normal. Well.. Their kind of normal.

Sanji gave a bland stare and prodded at the back of the green head. "Oi, if you wanna replay of earlier, you better be fuckin nice to me, shitty marimo."

"If I recall.." Zoro reached up and snatched the wrist of the prodding hand. "I think you enjoyed it just as much as I did." he pointed out with a slow smirk.

A slight blush tinted Sanji's cheeks, but he was failing at fighting off his own smirk. "I have more restraint than you do."

"Bull shit."

"Yeah, you are bull shit."

"Dart brow."

"Meat head."

"Missed this."

"Me too."

Just like that they settled into a comfortable silence as they waited. Watching the villagers moving about their day. Zoro leaning lightly against Sanji's knee while the cook had his hand resting on the swordsman's shoulder. This added closeness they shared was still strange, but neither of them questioned it. It felt right to seek out the occasional touch, or lingering contact between them. In fact if they were both honest, they knew that it was something that had been building up for a long time between them. The fights and arguing were just the only ways they knew how to deal with that attraction.

No one seemed to notice them waiting there. That or ignored them. The fact Zoro always seemed to be scowling inspired passers by to give them a wide berth. That gave them a bit of peace.

They had little to worry about now considering most of the marines on the island had been washed away. That was something they found out quickly when they moved Merry back out to sea. The Marines that had been close to discovering them apparently underestimated the storms. All that was left were the scattered remnants of their camp. Luffy and Usopp both had a grand time looting what supplies that had gotten blown up into the trees along the river.

The ships were gone as well. None of them knew if they had been swept away by the storms or if the marines hauled ass as soon as they were able. Though all that really mattered was that it was one less thing they had to worry about. For the first time in 2 weeks they could finally ease off the constant tension they had been under.

Robin had made a comment how it was ironic. The storm took a lot from them in the beginning, but now they seemed to have more than what they had arrived with. Zoro had a feeling that she was referring to more than just the supplies.

Zoro glanced briefly at Sanji. _'... I'll know soon.. Just how much more I have...'_

The blond was oblivious as he quietly smoked, staring off into the village. As soon as Sanji was back in a shape, meaning that he could return to his duties and be able to defend himself if... When their next conflict occurred, they were setting sail. According to Chopper, that was in about three or four days, depending on Sanji's progress. Secretly, the cook hated being the one that was holding back their adventures, but he had to admit that it was nice to get some time to just relax. He knew the rest of the crew certainly needed the downtime.

"... Think we should look for another inn to spend the rest of our stay at?" Sanji found himself asking.

Zoro glanced back to the blond and gave a sly smirk. "Eager to get some alone time, ero-cook?"

A bland stare was on Sanji's face as he promptly flicked Zoro's ear. "Ass. No, I mean first we were chased out by the storm, then stuck in a cave."

Rubbing his abused ear, Zoro hummed and shook his head. "I doubt Nami will let us spend money on anything for a while. Not after..." he trailed off to keep himself from ruining the surprise.

"Not after what?" Sanji asked with a frown. When Zoro kept quiet, Sanji let out a frustrated sigh. "You are so fuckin annoying, Marimo."

"Give what I get... Ow! Bastard!" Zoro yelped, clutching the ear that had just been bitten.

"Okay! I'm back!"

Nami jogged up to the pair, now carrying her purse, but came to a stop when she saw Zoro glaring at a smug looking Sanji. "... Did I miss something..?" she asked slowly.

"Only the cook turning cannibal." Zoro grumbled.

"I heard Marimos were edible." Sanji countered smoothly.

Nami blinked and glanced between the two. "Okay... Just try to keep the kinky love stuff out of public viewing... If you insist on it, I'll need to charge admission."

The visible blue eye twitched on hearing the woman's words. "Nami-swaaan! You're killing me.." Sanji whined.

"Tch... I reserve that right. I know you're going to drive me crazy." Zoro snorted before looking back at Nami with a stern glare. "I trust you got what you needed.."

"Yes! Yes, I've got everything!" Nami readily answered with a nervous smile, waving her hands a bit defensively.

Sanji tilted his head at the way the pair were acting, but he had to look away as he started to gingerly lower himself from the wall. When he placed weight on his feet he closed his eyes and took a deep breath at the stinging that shot up his legs. It was always painful to place pressure on his feet those first few steps. A warm arm around his waist had his eyes opening and looking up to the concerned gaze focused on him.

"Just lean on me if you need to." Zoro said quietly as he steadied the blond.

Instead of denying the help and getting defensive, Sanji let the strong frame take some of his weight. "Thanks.." he replied with a slight hint of a smile.

As they slowly headed back down the street towards the tailor shop, Nami lagged behind a few steps. Watching the pair with a small smile of her own. '_They really are good together.'_

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"Um.. Nami-san..?"

"Yes, Sanji-kun?"

"Why did you blindfold me..?"

Waving her hand over Sanji's eyes to make sure the blond wouldn't see anything, Nami grinned. "If I just told you, the blindfold would be kind of pointless." she pointed out coyly.

Zoro had gone in ahead to talk with the tailor, but before Sanji got to see what kind of shop they were entering, Nami suddenly pulled something over his eyes and guided him into some sort of building. He caught the scent of leather and dyes, but other than that he had no idea what was going on.

"Well, you have a point there, but why would I need a blindfold for Zoro's shopping? He's not going to traumatize me with something, is he?" Sanji asked as he stayed still to keep from tripping.

"I don't think you'll be traumatized." Nami answered easily. "Just humor me, Sanji-kun~"

The added coo made Sanji useless to resist. "Hai, Nami-swan."

Pleased, Nami glanced up when she heard the door to the tailor's office opening. Zoro walked out before the old tailor followed. Carrying a black jacket on a hanger. The sight of the pristine jacket had Nami beaming. _'Sanji's going to be so thrilled!'_ Though she hated that she had to part with the full amount, she knew that it was for a good cause. _'And Zoro will be in my debt for the rest of his life.'_

Zoro watched the tailor carefully take the new jacket to the cloth form and put it on. Once it was on the form, he saw the polished gold buttons shining brightly. It made him smile. As the old tailor was carefully brushing off any dust or lint on the deep black fabric, Zoro glanced back only to blink. "What's with the blindfold?"

"That's what I asked." Sanji commented lightly.

Nami let out a frustrated sigh. "It's the mysterious excitement factor! Come on!"

Zoro raised a brow. "You excited, cook?"

Sanji offered a shrug. "Kinda hungry. Not too exciting standing here in the dark."

"Gah! My effort is wasted on you two!" Nami waved at Zoro. "You take it off him."

At first Zoro approached the cook thinking nothing of the moment, but as he moved behind Sanji.. His heart picked up its pace. He glanced up at the jacket waiting in front of Sanji. He pictured the anguish that Sanji had been in when the original had been ruined. That look of loss as if something important had been taken away from him.

Zoro was hoping to give some of it back.

Holding his breath, he untied the knot in the cloth and pulled it away from the closed blue eyes.

Once the cloth was removed, Sanji's eyes opened. He opened his mouth to ask where they were, but his voice stopped when he saw the old man in a green apron standing next to a tailoring form...

With a pristine black double breasted jacket with bright gold buttons on it...

His mind went blank as he looked at the jacket.

After a long silent moment he blinked and found himself slowly stepping forward. "M... My.. Jacket..?"

The old tailor gave a warm smile at the young blond man. "New and improved version, lad. Don't be shy. It's been waiting quite a while for you." the tailor coaxed the blond forward.

Sanji was still at a loss even as he closed the space between him and the jacket. He watched numbly as the tailor took the jacket off the cloth form and helped him slip it on. The new lining slid on so smoothly against the white dress shirt he was wearing, and the jacket hugged his body as he fastened the buttons in place. "It.. It's lighter..." he whispered as he looked over the rich deep color of the fabric. It was darker than his old one.

"Lighter, sturdier, and will prove to have more flexibility. That jacket will last you for a long time to come, my dear boy." The tailor replied and he turned the astonished youth towards a set of full length mirrors.

When he was looking at himself, Sanji suddenly felt like he finally recognized the man staring back at him. For the longest time he felt like a stranger always faced him, but now... Now he knew the person he was looking at. Where that person belonged.

"I must say, I don't think any alterations will be necessary. Looks like it fits you like a glove." The tailor mused.

"I believe we have a deal then if Sanji-kun likes it." Nami called out. Even she had to admit the jacket made Sanji look like Sanji again. Too long the cook looked lost. This seemed to be a step in the right direction.

"Yes.. It's perfect..." Sanji answered as he continued to look at the person in the mirror.

Nami glanced over towards Zoro, and saw that the swordsman was barely keeping himself in check. His arms were folded tightly over his chest and his jaw was set rigidly. It looked like he was waiting for something. Figuring this was a moment best not observed, Nami moved to the tailor and hooked his arm. "Let's settle the bill then, shall we?"

"Ah yes. Let's return to my office, my dear." the tailor easily agreed. He'd been waiting over a week for his young customers to return. "I am glad you were able to weather the storms successfully."

"It was certainly an experience. Thank you again for the map. It proved very helpful."

As the pair disappeared into the office, Sanji shifted his gaze in the mirror. Soon his eyes settled on the reflection of his nakama. "Zoro..?"

Zoro felt himself tense in anticipation as he met the reflected blue gaze. "Yeah..?"

Slowly turning from the mirror, Sanji faced Zoro fully. So many thoughts were running through his head. He had no idea Zoro had done any of this. He knew Nami usually frustrated the hell out of him, but Zoro had put that aside and gone to her for help with this. Zoro had noticed how much his old jacket meant to him and had gone out of his way to try and make things better.

After everything they had gone through...

Zoro was puzzled at the look he was getting, but he was startled when he saw the blue eyes watching him begin to mist over. "Cook? What's wro-oomph!" The words were knocked out of him when Sanji practically tackled him. He staggered to keep them on their feet, but once he was steady he felt the desperate embrace that he was now locked in. Worried, his arms wrapped around the blond. "Sanji..?"

"Thank you..." Sanji mumbled against Zoro's neck. He tightened his hold on the other man as he tried not to get overwhelmed. "Thank you so much.."

The quiet words made Zoro smile. He held on firm to his nakama and buried his face into the soft blond hair. "You're more than welcome."

After a long moment, Sanji found himself letting out an amused hum. "Nami's gonna own you forever, isn't she?"

"More than likely." Zoro pulled back slightly in order to look into Sanji's eyes. He reached up and gently wiped away the moisture before it had a chance to fall. "But it's proven worth it."

That comment made a blush form on Sanji face, but instead of fighting it, he moved in to catch the dark lips in a slow kiss.

Zoro gave a low hum as he returned the attention in kind.

The rift between them had finally closed.

Things were finally better.

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TBC

A kiss to make it better.

Later~


	23. Catch that horizon

May be an ending.

Enjoy~

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Chapter 23

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"Nnn..."

Blue eyes slowly cracked open, but nothing came into focus. He tried to squint, but he ended up hissing when a pain throbbed through his skull.

"Sh.. Shit.. What happened?"

"My idiot chibi-nasu got his ass handed to him again."

That gruff voice made the wounded blond flinch. "Jijih... What's going on..?" Sanji attempted to sit up, but he was roughly pinned to the bed by a peg leg.

"Stay down. You cracked your skull this time. I was hoping that you would have learned your lesson by now, but apparently you have a death wish." Zeff seemed to growl in disappointment.

The boy gritted his teeth, but he soon gave a defeated sigh and let himself go limp on the bed. "What lesson would that be?"

Zeff gave a stern glare as he lowered his wooden leg. "To not go around pissing off people you can't take on yourself. Not only are you making a mess of my restaurant, you're keeping yourself out of commission. As shoddy as you are, I still need your hands, boy. You need to take care of them."

Sanji frowned deeply and looked away. "I'm trying, but you make it look too damn easy! I look after my hands, but how do I keep up_?_! Everyone else is so much stronger that I am! No one takes me seriously! It's like nothing I do is worth a damn to anyone!" he vented, tears forming in his tightly shut eyes.

"Is it worth a damn to you?"

The question had Sanji looking back at his mentor with confused eyes. "Wh.. What?"

Zeff sat himself down in a chair he had pulled next to the bed. He let out a deep breath and stroked his long moustache. "Do you care about what you're doing?"

"Of course I do! Why the hell would I be doing it if I didn't_?_!" the boy exclaimed in irritation.

"Because you don't show it, Stupid boy!" Zeff shot back. "If you showed that you care about what you do, the people around you would take you seriously. Flying off the handle at every insult won't get anything done. Anger is like any other tool. You use it. Not let it use you."

The boy was speechless for a moment as his gaze shifted to the ceiling above him. "Jijih... How do I get stronger..? I'm tired of people stepping on me.."

"You can't get stronger for yourself, Chibi-nasu. That selfish reason will get you killed on the sea."

"Then what reason should I have_?_!" Sanji snapped.

"To protect."

The short answer had the boy blinking at the man in confusion. "Protect..?"

Zeff nodded. "Find what you care for and protect it. Devote yourself to it. Give everything you have and then rip off part of yourself and give that too." he stated while placing a hand on his peg leg.

Blue eyes widened and filled with tears as Sanji nodded. "O.. Okay.."

The old man gave another sigh and leaned in to brush the blond hair away from the bruised face. "Listen well, Boy... The path you're taking will be hard. More difficult than most. You need to strengthen your resolve and come to terms with the fact that you will always be intentionally limiting yourself for the sake of these." He reached and placed his hand over the smaller one resting on the bed. "You must focus on your strengths and go beyond perfection. Never stop improving, because no matter how strong you get, they'll always be someone stronger. Find your breaking point and throw yourself past it. Your body is your weapon, and you have to be prepared for the day that it fails you."

The stern words had Sanji swallowing nervously. "How.. Do I do that?" he asked quietly.

"Find someone that can stand as your equal. Someone that can take on what challenges you can't. Someone you can trust without a doubt to watch your back. That's the kind of person you need by your side if you really want to tackle that dream." Zeff seemed to pause for a moment before a slow sigh left him. "But remember you need to watch out for them as well." he explained in an easier tone than the boy was used to hearing.

".. How do I know when I've found this person..?"

A smirk formed on the old chef's face. "You'll know. It'll be someone that you won't be able to stand. Someone you won't need words to communicate with. They won't need to ask if you're okay. They'll be able to know what you're feeling with just a look."

The description sounded weird as hell, and it pulled a weak laugh from the boy. "Heh.. Sounds annoying.."

"Knowing you, your equal will be just as stubborn and irritating as you are." the old man snorted, almost cringing. "But you need that irritation to keep you on your toes. Just remember to treat your equal's life more important than your own. You'll be lucky to find one within your life time. Don't let that person go."

"What if I don't..?"

Zeff gently patted the boy's bandaged head. "You will. Just keep doing your best to prove that you're their equal. They'll see it eventually. Just don't give up on yourself." With that he stood up from the chair and turned to leave.

"... Jijih.."

Zeff paused at the door. "Hm?"

"... Thanks..."

Zeff glanced back over his shoulder and smirked. "I expect you to be back at your station in 3 days, stupid chibi-nasu."

Sanji couldn't stop the laugh that left him. "You just wait, Jijih. I'll be the best there is, and then I'll expect you to be at your station."

"That'll be a long hundred years before then." Zeff snorted as he walked out the door. "I'm not worried."

As the door closed, Sanji smiled and finally let himself rest.

"Find.. My equal.."

_fjfjfj_

Sanji's eyes slowly opened as he woke from a familiar dream.

'_No.. Memory..'_

It was one he had occasionally. Especially if he had any particularly rough conflict with a certain swordsman. That memory would sneak into his dreams and remind him not to kill the mossy idiot in his sleep.

'_Thinking of mossy...'_

He looked to his side and smiled a bit as he saw Zoro's sleep softened features next to him on the pillow. His nakama looked to relaxed as he slept peacefully. Sanji silently decided that these moments would be what reminded him the directional clusterfuck that was Zoro was worth keeping around.

The last three days...

They had been amazing, for lack of a better word. They had found an Inn, and enjoyed a holiday that involved as little time standing upright as possible. It was awkward at first with their history still lurking in the background, but once that barrier was broken it all seemed to flow. It was easy and natural. Vicious and passionate. All the emotions between them had a new.. Highly more pleasurable outlet as an alternative to their usual rivalry bouts.

However, now that Sanji was healed, he knew they would be setting sail soon.

Though he hated the fact their moment had to end, he was looking forward to continuing their adventure. Carefully he sat up, trying not to wake his companion. Zoro was in a surprisingly heavy sleep. For once the man was completely relaxed, and Sanji had to admit he felt a bit smug about that. He reached out and slowly threaded his fingers through the green hair only to grin when Zoro automatically pressed into the touch as he snored softly. Pulling his hands away, Sanji slowly got out of bed and took up his boxers that had been flung to the night stand at some point.

As he was tugging on his pants next, Sanji caught sight of the sunrise through the window. He moved to the window and smiled at the warmth the new dawn was bringing. He pushed the hinged window open and perched himself on the sill. Watching the colors splashing over the landscape below and the sun making the ocean at the horizon sparkle like millions of diamonds.

He took a deep breath of the fresh air and let it out slowly. After everything that had happened, it made him appreciate being able to greet this new day. The promise of the unknown, the thrill of getting one step closer to that elusive horizon.

The fact he wouldn't be chasing the horizon alone. That made him excited and content at the same time. He wasn't alone. He had nakama that cared and needed him as much as he needed them. He had an equal that would not only watch his back...

"You're up too early."

The warm arms that wrapped around his bare torso had Sanji smirking. "You didn't have to get up." he pointed out.

"Bed got too cold." came Zoro's simple answer before he trailed a line of kisses along Sanji's pale shoulders. "You look happy this morning." he mumbled between kisses.

Sanji chuckled and rested his hands on the strong arms. "I suppose I am."

Zoro placed one last kiss to the back of Sanji's neck before perching his chin on the cook's shoulder. "Mmm.. What caused that..?"

A wicked grin was on the pale lips. "The fact I owned your ass just like I told you I would~" he cooed before turning his head and licking Zoro's cheek.

A stubborn pout was instantly on the swordsman. "Yeah yeah, whatever." he grumbled, wiping the saliva off his cheek onto Sanji's shoulder.

In truth, Zoro found that he liked getting owned. A lot. Not that he would ever admit that to anyone, even if his life depended on it. _'I won't inflate his ego that much, might explode.'_

Sanji chuckled at Zoro's reaction before he looked back out the window. "I think Nami-san said we'll be leaving this afternoon."

"Hm... It'll be good to get back out there." Zoro replied, eager to meet what was lying in wait for them on the Grand Line once more.

"Yeah.." Sanji mused as his eyes lingered on the horizon.

Instantly noticing the thoughtful tone and the far away look on the pale face, Zoro held the cook a bit tighter. "Oi.. No wandering off without me."

Pulled from his thoughts, Sanji snorted as he glanced back at his nakama. "You have any idea how ridiculous that sounds coming from you?"

"Shut up. You know what I mean."

A smile twitched onto pale lips. "Yeah, I know." He looked to the ocean and hummed softly. "Just.. Wondering if things will be different now."

"They will be. But you're still a idiotic ero-cook that drives me up the fuckin wall, so won't be that different." Zoro added lightly.

Sanji gave a bland stare. "And you're a shitty marimo that could get lost in a barrel."

"See? Still can't stand each other." Zoro pointed out with a smirk.

"Yeah yeah." Sanji shook his head and let his hands slowly run over the strong arms around him. He liked how Zoro's skin was so smooth.

Zoro had to bite back the purr that wanted to leave him. He was now addicted to those hands he always admired. Just thinking of all the things those hands did to him made him feel warm. He absently began kissing the edges of the scars that now hung around Sanji's shoulder blades. Chopper said they would fade with time, but Zoro knew he'd always see them. However he wasn't going to feel guilt whenever he saw them from now on.

No, if anything, the entire ordeal on this island taught him that these scars were a sign. A sign of Sanji's devotion to his nakama and the lengths he'd go through to protect them. Protect him. It humbled him, but he was determined to never let that gift be taken for granted again.

When the blond returned his gaze to the horizon, Zoro hummed thoughtfully. "Tell me." he mumbled against the scarred skin.

Breaking away from the daze his thoughts and the tender touches had lured him into, Sanji hesitated for a moment before he let out a quiet sigh. "Just wondering.. What will be thrown at us next."

"Whatever it is, we'll get through it or beat it into submission."

That answer made Sanji smile. "Think so?"

Zoro returned his chin to the perch on the pale shoulder. "Know so."

He was used to baseless confidence from Luffy, but he found it just as comforting from the swordsman as he did the captain. He leaned back into Zoro's hold and relaxed.

Zoro readily held him tighter and supported him so he wouldn't fall from his perch.

That simple action made Sanji fully understand the words his adopted father spoke to him so long ago.

"Oi.. Zoro.."

The swordsman turned his head and lightly nuzzled against the soft blond hair. "Yeah?"

"Let's make a deal."

Puzzled, Zoro shifted to look at the visible blue eye. "About what?"

Sanji turned his head to look at his companion.

His nakama.

His rival.

His equal.

"I'll breathe for you... If you'll breathe for me."

Dark eyes widened slightly. Thoughts of that moment when they shared that breath that had saved his life in the cold waters filled his head. Though Zoro had a feeling there was far more to those words than that.

A slow smirk was soon curling at dark lips. "Deal."

"Deal..." The cook's eyes became half lidded as he moved in closer. Wanting to taste that smirk.

"Oooooi~!"

A loud knock on their door had them both blinking in alarm, and shattered the moment they were becoming lost in. "Zorooo~ Sanjii~ Put your pants back on! Nami wants us to get the ship ready to sail!"

Hearing Luffy's blunt wording had them both staring blandly at the door. "Guess our holiday is over." Sanji snorted, trying bite back how disappointed he was to return to reality.

"Yeah.." Zoro slowly stepped back to let Sanji step out of the window.

Once Sanji was on his feet, Zoro held out his hand to the cook with a slight smile. "Let's go catch that horizon."

Blue eyes widened as they flickered between the warmth on the tan face and the hand held out to him. A brilliant smile then lit up Sanji's pale face as he took hold of Zoro's hand firmly.

"Let's go."

_fjfjfjThe Endfjfjfj_

Or a new beginning.

Thank you to all who have stuck with me through this fic.

Until next time.

Later~


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